Leukemia: A Cancer Revealed

Leukemia, do we really know what it is and what it involves? I never did until the issue hit close to me. Leukemia is not a cancer we hear about as often as cancers such as breast cancer or lung cancer for example. Although we do not hear much about this, the number of cases is steadily growing. With this, work needs to be done to make Leukemia facts known to more people and let them know ways to prevent this from happening or signs to warn them. Creating more healthy and effective treatments would also help the process of dealing with this cancer people know very little about.
Leukemia is a cancer that effects the blood cells. Anyone can develop leukemia at any age. It begins in the bone marrow and then the cells undergo changes and the cancer multiplies and spreads throughout many other cells. These leukemia cells grow and survive better than other cells so over time they crowd out normal cells. Some signs that may occur before diagnosis are ; symptoms similar to other common and less severe illnesses, tiredness and or no energy, shortness of breath during physical activities(4, Radlet). There are also other symptoms such as; pale skin, mild fevers and night sweats, slow healing of cuts and excess bleeding, black and blue marks for no apparent reason, and aches in the bones and or joints( 1,Baldauf). Doctors would need to take blood tests in order to make and accurate diagnosis( 4, Radlet). They would try and make a decision as fast as possible just in case it was leukemia that way they could start treatment as soon as possible.
Cancer is something I never thought I would have to deal with in my life but after having two close friends have parents from both of their households diagnosed with different forms of leukemia, that was all I could think about and ways I could help make things better. In the year 2007 between the months of June and November my two closest friends had both their mothers diagnosed with different forms of Leukemia. I would never be able to explain my reaction when I found out about both of their moms, and I would never be able to describe how their daughters felt after finding out that their own moms had cancer. I could never imagine having one person I know well be diagnosed with a cancer I didn’t know much about but all within the same year I had two cases to deal with. Not only was it hard thinking about the treatments they had to go through, it was also hard seeing my friends have to watch their mothers go from being super moms to mothers that couldn’t take care of their own kids because they were to sick. When this happened I couldn’t help but want to find out more information about ways I could help and to also research facts that way I knew what was going on in their lives.
This cancer effects nearly 50,000 people in our society each year and about 4,000 of those cases are kids(3, unknown). Many households have to deal with the deaths of loved ones due to this cancer but as the years go on it is proven that the number of deaths due to this cancer are decreasing. Support is something every family going through this experience needs and they can use all the help the can get both financially and love wise.
Although more can be done to help leukemia patients and their families a lot is being done already. Doctors study how far along the cancer is that way the patient can get the correct treatment whether its radiation, chemotherapy, or a some of both. But these type of treatments can also cause other damage to cells making the patient sick. With this doctors are trying to find new and more health benefiting ways to cure cancer. One way this is possible is through eating blackberries(Gutierrez). The antioxidants found in these berries help kill off the bad cancer cells present in your body(Gutierrez). They wont get rid of it completely but will help by allowing the patient to have less treatment that is harmful to their bodies.
From the research I have done my recommendations would be to be cautious and watch out for these warning signs of this cancer, if you don’t feel well then you might want to go and see a doctor. Even if you are not the one sick or that has been diagnosed with cancer helping a family in need makes a difference too. Cooking meals and helping out around the house really mean a lot to these families and gives them more time to be together. Finally I would suggest the people donate money to a foundation supporting research on Leukemia and cancers related to that. With more money scientists will be able to do more extensive research and help those in need.
Call to Action-
By going to one of the two following sites you can make donations to research for Leukemia. You don’t just have to donate money either, you can buy bracelets that support the foundation or even a shirt. Every bit makes a difference.
To take action you can go to these sites to make a difference:
http://www.gandp.org/donate.html
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_toplevel.adp?item_id=4189