Rock band Monty Are I performs at Pennies for Patients event

millss — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:04:51 GMT

On April 29, the band Monty Are I performed at Davisville Middle School in Rhode Island as a reward to the students for raising $4,665.89 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. This was $500 more than what they had raised the previous year, and were motivated to increase their fundraising efforts after hearing a talk given by Joyce Muir, mother to two of the band members, Ryan and Justin.

What Joyce told the school about was Ryan’s fight with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After being diagnosed at 16 years of age, he underwent 2 ½ years of treatment. As he reflects on having cancer he says it was the hardest time of his life, yet it hasn’t been until more recently that he has been able to understand what he went through and the impact it has had on his life.

"Some things I wish I had taken more time to understand is that it’s ok to be sad and it’s ok to get angry cause this is an awful experience, but you need to take that energy and then turn it into something positive and don’t be afraid to express it to other people.”

Today Ryan is in remission, and he says that he hasn’t really shared this part of his life with his fans yet. He feels that now is the time to let people know what he has gone through so he can positively impact others going through similar experiences.

Watch Monty Are I's performance at Davisville Middle School on YouTube, and learn more about Monty Are I at their website, www.montyarei.com.

Learn more about Pennies for Patients, as well as other school programs on the School and Youth website.

Learn more about ALL by downloading these free resources (PDF) or ordering them through the Free Materials section of our website:

Understanding Leukemia or download the Spanish-language version, La leucemia
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Guide for Patients and Caregivers
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia or download the Spanish-language version, Leucemia linfocítica aguda

Can you relate to Ryan’s experience?

AML, NHL, MDS - What does it all mean?

millss — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:22:42 GMT

It's so much faster to type MDS rather than Myelodysplastic Syndrome (and easier, too, since I still manage to misspell it). At the same time, though, it can be confusing for people not as familiar with what those abbreviations mean - and especially so for people who are new to the blood cancers.

So what can you do to keep yourself or others straight on all the MDSs or NHLs besides carrying around a reference card?

I'd recommend looking at We need a Quick Reference for Abbreviations, a topic initiated on our Discussion Boards by Lynda. You can also visit our search glossary and type in the abbreviation you are interested in learning more about.

Here are a few to get you started:*

AML = Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
ALL = Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
CML = Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
CLL = Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
NHL = Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
MDS = Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Do you have any tips or tricks on how to remember so many abbreviations and their meanings?

*Learn more about leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and other blood cancers in our Disease Information section on our website.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Blog

Rock band Monty Are I performs at Pennies for Patients event

AML, NHL, MDS - What does it all mean?