That’s how often a person is diagnosed with blood cancer in the United States, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). This means that 156,420 Americans will be diagnosed in 2014, and hundreds of thousands more worldwide.
But that’s just the start of what everyone can learn during National Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Check out the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s (LRF) video below:
Did you know there are actually three main types of blood cancer? Each affects a different kind of cell in your body and can vary greatly:1
Leukemia is found in your actual blood and bone marrow, and it causes abnormal white blood cells to form and disrupt the normal immune system.
Lymphoma affects your lymph nodes and lymphatic organs, which are the parts of the immune system that remove excess fluid from the body and produce special white blood cells.
Myeloma is the cancer that is limited to plasma cells, which are cells in your blood that help produce antibodies and fight disease.
There are many subtypes of these three categories, including conditions like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma, to name a few common ones. This month, get involved by participating in a Lymphomaton (a fundraising and awareness walk), finding a LRF chapter or even posting awareness flyers and posters on Facebook and other social media outlets.
Don’t forget to check out Bob’s blog interview – he’s a PatientsLikeMe member who shared about his life after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma and how he’s learned to manage his condition.
Share this post on Twitter and help spread the word for blood cancer.
1 http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Cancers/
