Jan Lillemo
“I am running my campaign in honor and memory of the many people I know who have had blood cancer. I will be highlighting the stories of some of these folks during my campaign.”
Chances are high you know someone affected by blood cancer. This week we're honoring Jennifer Lillemo Ayd, a founding member of Engines of Solidarity and daughter of Jan Lillemo, Minnesota's candidate for National All Star Visionary of the Year.
In the fall of 2008, 19 year-old Jennifer had just begun her sophomore year at the University of Minnesota when she began to cough up blood. It wasn't a lot at first. But it rapidly got worse. Urgent care's diagnosis: probably just a bad nosebleed.
After a coughing fit late one night left her struggling to breathe, Jennifer was rushed to the ER. Doctors quickly discovered a mass the size of a tennis ball in her chest that had grown so large it burst a blood vessel in her lung. Not a nosebleed.
A two-week hospital stay followed and Jennifer was put through a slew of tests by the infectious medicine, pulmonary, internal medicine, and thoracic surgery teams. The true diagnosis was revealed after exploratory surgery. Jennifer was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
The prescribed six months of chemotherapy were continuously interrupted: low blood cell counts, ground-glass inclusions in her lungs (caused by one of her chemo drugs), another swollen lymph node in her chest. It seemed like everything was keeping her from a cancer-free declaration.
But the declaration did arrive. And now, 14 years later, Jennifer is cancer free, yet still suffers from health difficulties due to her treatment.
#CancelBloodCancer
Consider making a donation Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one,
We cannot imagine the enormous heartbreak families must go through when their loved ones hardly have an opportunity to fight a cancer diagnosis. This week is dedicated to the memory of Stephanie Drevlow O’Rourke.
“When patients, friends, family and colleagues think of St. Michael mother and therapist Stephanie Drevlow O’Rourke, one of the first things often mentioned is her smile, and the way her spirit could suddenly fill a room.” –North Wright County Today, August 11, 2015
After being diagnosed with AML (Acute myeloid leukemia) in late July of 2015, Stephanie's prognosis was looking good. But complications from her treatment suddenly robbed friends, family and an entire community of an amazing woman, and Stephanie passed away on August 10, 2015 at the age of 40.
"Even what turned out to be the end for her, she looked for happiness in everything. Fortunately, her daughters inherited–or learned-this from her. When they learned that their mom couldn’t go outside to the garden at the hospital, they brought in window paints and painted a garden on her hospital window." ~Lauren Drevlow, Stephanie's father
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive, rapidly-progressing disease in which the immature blood cells do not develop properly and grow uncontrollably. The AML cells crowd out and interfere with the number and function of normal blood cells.
The need for new treatments for AML remains urgent, which is why The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has invested approximately one quarter of its research dollars annually in the disease, more than $100 million over the past decade.
#CancelBloodCancer
Consider making a donation Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one,
This week we're honoring Amy Bailey, a Sacramento-based civil servant, wife and mother of two who was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma last year.
In July 2022, Amy began experiencing extreme fatigue and anaemia. After unbearable back spasms and crippling pain sent her to the hospital, doctors discovered compression fractures up and down her spine. Further testing revealed the cause: Multiple Myeloma, a bone marrow cancer.
Amy spent a month in hospital, receiving treatment to alleviate the pressure on her vertebrae, starting chemotherapy, and coping with her diagnosis. Multiple Myeloma is treatable, but ultimately incurable—the average life expectancy is 10 years and, once in remission, relapse is inevitable.
Following a stem cell transplant in November 2022 and additional chemo, Amy is now in remission. She undergoes maintenance treatment to stave off a relapse as she reclaims her life with her new limitations. She looks forward to watching her children grow up alongside her husband Ryan and hopes that, when she relapsed in the future, LLS-funded research will have found a cure.
To make a donation to Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one, please visit eos-mn.org.
Sometimes cancer can return. It can happen weeks, months, or even years after the original treatment. And while the statistical likelihood of a recurrence or relapse affects 40–50% of all Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients who achieved remission after initial treatment, you're still never prepared for the statistic to hone in on you. How could you be? This week is dedicated to the incredible Heidi Gusenius, a woman who is all too familiar with that devastating reality.
After feeling miserable and exhausted for weeks on end during the summer of 2005, 24-year-old newlywed Heidi Gusenius was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
After a one-month grueling stay in the hospital with incredible pain, infections, etc., she achieved a remission. Her treatment continued for 6 months with 4 additional rounds of chemotherapy, numerous blood infections, and one very supportive husband.
Unfortunately, cancer found Heidi again in March of 2017. She was now 36, and mom of two young children, which made the situation all the more devastating. Living at the hospital and away from my little ones for long periods of time was incredibly difficult for the entire family. This leukemia was the same (AML) as the first, but it had different cell mutations, which led the doctors to believe it was an entirely new round of leukemia, rather than a relapse.
6 years later, I am somehow still alive and well. I’m grateful every single day for the chance to raise my two little miracles, Rylan and Mari.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare cancer that affects your bone marrow and blood. It typically happens when certain genes or chromosomes mutate (change). AML usually affects people age 60 and older, but it can also affect younger adults and children. Acute myeloid leukemia is an aggressive cancer that can be life-threatening. Newer treatments are helping people to live longer with AML.
To make a donation to Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one, please visit eos-mn.org.
This week is dedicated to the memory of Eric Gilseth, who unexpectedly passed away in August of 2015 following a 4-year battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He will forever be known for his contagious smile, positive spirit and his limitless passion for living life to the fullest.
At 27 years old, Eric Gilseth had finally settled into his advertising position of six months—he loved his job and the people he worked with. But in the fall of 2011, he’d started to lose weight and had a persistent cough. The week following the Thanksgiving holiday, night sweats began interrupting his sleep
He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma—a highly curable cancer with a remission rate of 98%. He started chemotherapy in December and began a second regimen in March. His autologous transplant was successful, but by November 2012, the cancer had returned. He needed a bone marrow transplant, but doctors couldn’t find a perfect blood donor match. .
He became the third person to undergo a new treatment in a clinical trial at the University of Minnesota: a transplant of immunologically incompatible cells—in this case, from his sister Leah, who was less than a 50% blood match—and a Leukemia drug. His received his second transplant while raising over $60,000 for LLS’s Man of the Year 2014. LLS honored him with two Life Blood Awards for his extraordinary fundraising effort and relentless pursuit of a world without blood cancers.
After enduring months of pain and drug reactions, pneumonia and Graft vs. Host Disease, his body finally accepted the transplants. But his impaired immune system caused him to contract Respiratory Syncytial Virus and end up on a ventilator in a coma for a week. His ravaged lungs caused his health to decline and, in the following four months, his body began to shut down.He was on vacation when his condition deteriorated overnight. He was airlifted to the University of Minnesota, where his friends and family said goodbye for a final time. Eric appreciated the support he received from LLS and believed in their mission. He left behind the following statement:
We have to find a cure for cancer. We have to. Let’s never stop trying.
To make a donation to Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one, please visit eos-mn.org.
This week is dedicated to the memory of Ross Proctor, a man who courageously battled—and beat—Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) only to pass away peacefully due to complications from a bone marrow transplant on April 21, 2013. Ross will forever be known for his kindness and gentle soul.
Ross Proctor was a kind, generous and very loving man who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) at the age of 35 in 2011. He had been married to his wife Rachel for 7 years at that point, and they lived in Crystal, Minnesota in their newly purchased home with their Corgi puppy Clive.
He very bravely fought the disease for 24 months, enjoying a bit of travel to Las Vegas to the young adult group conference for Stupid Cancer, reading his devotionals every day, connecting on the phone with family and friends and attended a U2 concert in rain – all during remission.
Rachel has become a cancer and grief and loss advocate, author and now a Cancer Care Health Educator, all in his honor.
Ross encompassed the meaning of a cancer fighter until his very last days. In life he participated in extra spinal taps and bone marrow biopsies, and in death donated his body to the University of Minnesota, all to help work towards the advancement of cancer research and a cure. Ross’s memory lives through all those that loved and knew him, all these years later.
To make a donation to Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one, please visit eos-mn.org.
When faced with cancer, you might find yourself overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. Whether a recent diagnosis, years into remission or living as a survivor, one of the most common concerns is that the cancer may come back. This week we're honoring Suzy Robertson, a woman all too familiar with managing fear and health repercussions from treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
As a junior in high school, I decided to try something new…being a flag girl instead of marching in band. Not being an athlete, I discovered the fun of developing strong arms! One day at rehearsal, I noticed my armpit was painful. Part of the deal, I thought. But my mom called the doctor, and he called for a biopsy of my lymph node.
Soon I had a diagnosis, an oncologist, and a plan, including thirty days of radiation in the sub-sub-basement of Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago. I faced Hodgkin’s Disease with family support and friends willing to tutor me for a month. I was young enough to believe my doctor when she said, “If you had to have cancer, Hodgkin’s was the one to have.” That and my faith instilled a positive attitude.
Four years later at my six-month check-up, the x-rays showed that Hodgkin’s had returned. Then it was time for chemotherapy at high doses. I kept attending college, again with support from my family and friends. But I can still remember that day at my check-up when the whole family was there because we were going to Wrigley Field for a Cubs’ game. I stood looking at the x-ray and my gut reaction was: “How many times will I have cancer?” It shook my world.
The two main side effects from the illness and treatments were going through early menopause and having a deep-seated fear of further troubles. Today I have two wonderful kids and even a grandson, and my fears have evolved with lots of work. I am aging early with health repercussions from the treatments. I’m glad to have worked through my underlying fear because I have lots of medical issues to face today.
Through it all— along with the many emotions I’ve experienced—I have felt gratitude: for my life and my family, for so many caring, smart doctors, and the communities of friends who embrace me. And as I learn more about LLS, I extend that gratitude to the researchers and institutions that work so hard to advance cancer treatments. It is truly an amazing world!
To make a donation to Team Give a Lillemore in memory or honor of a loved one, please visit eos-mn.org.