Thank you for visiting our page. Many of you know me, but for those of you who do not, my name is Lew Cohen, and I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). I was first diagnosed with it 9 ½ years ago after yearly routine blood tests. Upon hearing the news, I thought it was a death sentence. After doing much research, and contacting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I soon learned that a person can live with this form of cancer for many years before requiring any treatment.
After 9 years of monitoring my CLL, my oncologist and I agreed that it was time for the treatments to begin. I started my first round of chemotherapy in November 2014. My protocol consists of four to six cycles of treatment, four weeks apart, each with a series of infusions over a two-day period. After my initial cycle, my doctor was extremely pleased with my response to the medications. As I write this, I am very encouraged that I will be in remission by the end of my treatments and hopefully remain that way for at least 5 years. Because of LLS-funded research, great strides are being made in finding more and more effective treatments. I strongly feel that in the near future, they will either find a cure, or at the very least, a drug that will keep this cancer in check permanently.
I am looking forward to spending many healthy years with my family and friends, and especially my four beautiful grandchildren. I would like to extend a special thank you to my wife, Vicki, who has always been by my side throughout this journey. Thanks to my children, Jared Cohen and Jamie Catrona and their spouses for their love and support. Thank you to my oncologist, Dr. Irina Rybalova, who has gone above and beyond being just a doctor to me, as she has been there 24/7 to put my mind at ease whenever the need arose. I also want to thank the LLS and all the people associated with them for their continued hard work and commitment to this cause. Hopefully, with your contributions, blood cancers of all kinds will be a part of the past, and we can all look forward to a healthier future!
Go Team LewStrong!!!
Please join us in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to our fundraising campaign.
Thanks to your generous support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, this is a new world. Hundreds of thousands of people diagnosed with blood cancer are today living normal, productive lives.
We are on the threshold of amazing breakthroughs. Your money accelerates miraculous new treatments and healing therapies once thought impossible. And with our co-pay and insurance assistance, many patients can now afford the medications they need.
Cures today. Not someday. That's the goal. And you are at the heart of it.
All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. They'll not only support LLS research but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.
On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support!
For more information about LLS, please visit lls.org