"You have Leukemia"….three words that I never expected to hear. In fact I don’t think I heard anything the doctor said after that. I was in shock.  As my wife Lisa and the doctor spoke of treatment options I just kept thinking he had to be wrong, I felt great. I had gone in for a simple cholesterol check and there had to be a mistake. There wasn’t, I had a rare form of Leukemia called Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL).

Breaking the news to Chelsea and Paige our two teenage daughters was one of the hardest things we had to do. Trying to convince them I had a ‘GOOD’ form of Leukemia was not easy.  They both insisted I never use the words ‘Good’ and ‘Leukemia’  in the same sentence again.   Two nights before treatment we invited some friends and family over and we had a ‘F**K LEUKEMIA’ party to celebrate the fact that I was going to beat this.

With Lisa by my side and a daily rides from my friends Bill and Don, I made the trek into Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for treatment.  At night we came home to meals dropped off by family and friends.

It has been almost ten years and I am as healthy as ever. I go into Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center every 6 months to get my blood counts checked and everything is good. I know at some point I will need treatment again but that is ok.

Before 1984, the only treatment for HCL was to remove the spleen, which would extend your life approximately, 4.5 years. Thankfully for me, the treatment has advanced to the point that 90% of patients treated today can expect to be in remission for up to 10 years.

I wondered to myself what was being done so that everyone could have such a good prognosis, and with a little research I found the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since 1949, LLS has invested more than $1.3 billion in research to advance breakthrough cancer treatments.

While so many things have been cancelled due to COVID-19 cancer is not one of them. Blood cancer patients are at higher risk of getting very sick from the coronavirus COVID-19. Patients, caregivers, and families are facing added uncertainty, fear, and stress while navigating their or their loved one’s diagnosis and treatment. LLS is here to help! As the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support, LLS is committed to blood cancer patients and their families throughout their entire cancer experience. When you give to LLS, you make an impact on the lives of cancer patients and their families when it’s needed most.

Please join our team's effort today by registering to walk or by making a donation. If you are interested in joining my team, please click here.  

You can make a donation in any of the following ways:

By Credit Card. You can make a secure, tax-deductable donation through this page by clicking on the red “Donate” button to the right

By Check.  Please make checks payable to “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society” with my name in the memo line and send to the following address:

Please note our new address:

LLS Northeast, Metro NY

P.O. Box 22470

New York, NY 10087-2470

*Write my name in the memo line

Thank you for bringing us all closer to living in a world without blood cancers!

If you have questions or need assistance in registering or making a donation, please email lightthenight_nyl@lls.org or call 631-370-7540. 

With gratitude