Understanding Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
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- Overcoming adversity can seem daunting but having a plan can make it feel achievable. It’s important to remember that setting goals and breaking them into smaller steps is key. When going through a difficult time try setting a goal, making a plan, relying on others, and using positive self-talk.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, is a type of leukemia where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It is also called acute lymphocytic leukemia.
- A child’s cancer diagnosis affects the entire family so when assuming the role of a caregiver, it’s important to remember to be your child’s biggest advocate so they receive the best care possible. This includes making sure any concerning symptoms are fully and expeditiously addressed.
- Caregivers must also be on guard for “caregiver burnout” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of their own. Remember, talking to a therapist or your support group is an important tool to help you cope during this difficult period.
- Through interviews with expert oncologists, social workers, patients advocates, and more, SurvivorNet has come up with a checklist of helpful steps cancer caregivers can take throughout the journey.
Chusovitina, whose son previously battled Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and went into remission 16 years ago, took to social media this week to reveal her heartbreaking health news in video to her supporters.
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Chusovitina continued, “I will not be able to take part and I am very upset as I have been preparing for this competition for a long time. I started doing all-around and I wanted to perform in our country, in front of our fans.
“But, unfortunately, tomorrow you will not see me among the participants.”
“I would like to express my gratitude to all of you, but you can come and support our girls. That’s what I’m going to do tomorrow!” she concluded.
Prior to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which Chusovitina is sad to no longer be competing in, the inspiration gymnast competed in eight consecutive Olympic Games, with the first one dating back to 1992 in Barcelona. She won the gold that year with the 1992 Unified Team from the post-Soviet nation.
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It’s remarkable that the now 48-year-old, who has chosen to retire and un-retire over the years, won world championship gold when she was just 16, the Associated Press reports.
Although she has taken herself out of the upcoming competition, she has not mentioned anything about whether or not she plans to retire again, something that’s truly admirable as she continues to exude strength amid adversity.
The 5-foot-tall elite gymnast, who is a loving mom to her son Alisher, 24, whom she shares with her husband, Uzbek Olympic wrestler Bakhodir Kurbanov, also won the USSR Junior Nationals in 1988 and started competing internationally 1989.
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Chusovitina, who competed with three different national teams throughout the years [the Unified Team, Uzbekistan, and Germany], has been commended as the gymnast to compete in a total of eight Olympic games.
Powering Through Adversity
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It’s exciting to see how Chusovitina—who became the oldest gymnast to compete at an Olympic Games during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she was 46—will bounce back from her injury and compete again, as most gymnasts competing at the Olympics retire in their early 20s.
Chusovitina’s Son’s Battle With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Chusovitina certainly understands what it’s like to power through tough times as her son Alisher who was born in 1999, was diagnosed at age 3 with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in 2002.
At the time of his diagnosis, Chusovitina moved to Germany while her son underwent treatment for the rare type of blood cancer.
During the six years Alisher underwent his treatment to beat ALL, Chusovitina joined Germany’s national gymnastics team, continued competing, and ultimately used prize money and donations to pay for her son’s medical bills, according to The Post Game.
Alisher was declared to be “cancer-free” and in remission in 2008, following Chusovitina’s silver medial win in Beijing.
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Speaking to Reuters in an earlier interview about how she put her prize money to her son’s medical bills, she explained, “My son is my whole life.
“I know every mother says that. But our bond is special. When he was ill I was devastated. He’s my motivation.”
She also credits her son for helping her stay focused and continue competing at an older age.
Chusovitina told Reuters, “I’m fortunate to be able to continue in a sport I love so much. And I can’t tell you how grateful I am to everyone who helped.
“The whole world helped.”
Understanding Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, is a type of leukemia where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It is also called acute lymphocytic leukemia, according to the National Cancer Institute.
What Is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)?
Dr. Olalekan Oluwole, a hematologist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, previously talked with SurvivorNet about ALL’s effect on the body and the type of treatments that work to fight it.
“ALL is a type of cancer that is very aggressive,” Dr. Oluwole told SurvivorNet. “It grows very fast. Within a few weeks, a few months, the person will start to feel very sick. And that’s why we will have to give it an equally aggressive type of treatment to break that cycle.”
All About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Answers to the Most Common Questions About the Disease
Dr. Oluwole also says the leukemia often resides in the bone marrow, and because it is an abnormal growth, it just keeps dividing.
“It doesn’t follow rules, and it doesn’t stop,” he told SurvivorNet. “Not only that, because this is part of the immune system, the immune system is sorta like the police of the body. So those abnormal cells that have now become cancer, they have the ability to go to many places. They go into the blood, and they often go into the tissue or the lining around the brain.”
Advocating for Your Child; When to be Concerned
When it comes to your own health, as an adult, advocating for yourself and your own health is extremely important. It isn’t uncommon to run into medical professionals who will dismiss your symptoms, but you know your body the best. And you know when there’s something wrong.
Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate: Don’t Settle
The same goes for a parent and their child. Mothers and fathers know when there’s something wrong with their child, and children aren’t able to advocate for themselves.
As a parent, it’s vitally important to pay attention to your child’s health and take them to see a medical professional if you feel something isn’t right. But it’s also only natural to worry about your child and seek professional help for the smallest things.
Coping With A Child’s Cancer Diagnosis
Advocating for your health and your child’s health is essential to getting the necessary care before a condition worsens. Some cancers can have subtle symptoms, so don’t delay seeing your doctor. Luckily, the Fraley’s got their sweet girl into the right specialists just in time.
Family members caring for a child diagnosed with cancer can be stressful. Family support not only eases the anxiety of the cancer patient, but the added support also helps their loved ones.
Caregivers of cancer warriors must also watch out for “caregiver burnout” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of your own.
Caregivers who find themselves struggling to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist, or a support group of their own either online or in person.
Dealing With Grief Related to Health Problems
As parents navigate the cancer journey with their young cancer warriors, it’s important to remember children’s bodies may react differently to treatments than adults because their bodies are still growing.
“They may receive more intense treatments…and they may respond differently to drugs that control symptoms in adults,” according to the National Cancer Institute so it’s important to ask plenty of questions to doctors throughout the cancer journey.
Remember, you’re not alone in this journey your child’s oncologist and care team are there to guide you and provide information and answers. Oncological social workers are a fantastic resource to help you sort out the financial aspects of cancer treatment, as well as other cancer-related issues. Skilled psychologists and counselors can be accessed to help you maintain good mental health through your child’s cancer journey, to the best of your ability.
And, don’t be afraid to reach out to your support system friends, relatives, etc. for help through this process. No one expects you to handle everything on your own.
Meanwhile, if you’re wondering what you can do to ensure your child is getting the best treatment possible, consider the following recommendations from the National Cancer Institute.
- “Build strong partnerships” Communicate openly and honestly with your child’s care team. You want to build a solid relationship with the people treating your child so you feel confident asking any questions and discussing your child’s treatment path.
- “Take advantage of the many specialists who can help your child” There are many people who can help you and your child after the diagnosis arrives. Don’t hesitate to ask for specialists to help you and your child learn about their disease, understand how it will be treated and cope with difficult emotions.
- “If you get information online, make sure the source is credible” Doing your own research is a great way to advocate for your child, but it’s important you’re looking at reliable sources such as (but not limited to) the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American Society of Clinical Oncology, among others. Talk to doctors about what you’re finding and don’t hesitate to get multiple opinions regarding your child’s treatment path.
- “Make sure you understand what your child’s health care team tells you” You need to ask for clarification if something about your child’s diagnosis or treatment is confusing.
- “Keep your child’s pediatrician updated” Make sure your child’s cancer care team is sending updates to their regular pediatrician.
The Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on the Whole Family
Resilience Through Adversity
We love how Chusovitina has continued to beat the odds and compete as a gymnast despite her age and through her son’s battle with cancer, which is why we’d like to point out how SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.
WATCH: Defining and Building Resilience
Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates, saying, “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?
It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.” In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.
You can build resilience the way you build muscle – through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller, all who have spoke with SurvivorNet in earlier interviews.
- Be willing to learn. If one way doesn’t work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it. In Resilience, one of the athletes says, “You always have to be learning. Otherwise, life gets stagnant.” The more you learn, the more you grow and growth is a sign of resilience.
- Spend time with people who inspire you. Our world is filled with people who overcome challenges, and their success can energize you to overcome your own. Think about famous people who hava faced adversity and did not give up Stephen King actually threw his manuscript, Carrie, in the trash because it had been rejected by publishers so many times. His wife encouraged him to keep sending it out, and he finally sold it in 1974 launching a massively successful career as a novelist. Take the time to read and learn about the lives of Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Bethany Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, and others.
- Allow yourself to grieve. Don’t push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Ben Fischer says that life can be filled with lots of crying, but “Those cries make us stronger.”
- Be flexible. Abandon the idea that there is only one solution or that you must stick to your original plan. The best solution or plan is the one that eventually works. You may need to change your original plan as the circumstances change.
- Lean in to your community. Your friends, colleagues, and family are invaluable, and when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of human well-being. Many news outlets have covered its results, which show that maintaining strong, healthy relationships helped people live longer lives. Psychiatrist and author Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet that connecting with and contributing to the lives of other people are two of “the three wellsprings of vitality” (the third is feeling positively challenged).
Facing Cancer: How to Turn Stress into Strength
If you’ve been through a difficult health challenge or any type of adversity throughout your live, Dr. Boardman told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that one way to get your mental health back in check after a diagnosis is to try to play up your strengths.
“I sometimes will ask patients, tell me about yourself when you were at your best,” she explained. “Using that story, trying to figure out what strengths come to mind. Is it patience? Is it appreciation of beauty? It is perseverance? [Then we can] use those strengths in constructive ways to navigate their cancer journey.”
Dr. Boardman says another way to approach harnessing the strength you already have is by tapping into your values. This could be family, close friendships, spirituality, or commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
Reminding yourself of what your values are and how you are living accordingly is another way to unleash that inner strength.
Lastly, patients shouldn’t underestimate the value of simply opening up, Dr. Boardman says. This could mean speaking to a close family member or friend, or it could mean seeking support in other ways by finding a therapist that meets your needs or looking into joining a support group.
Having negative feelings throughout a health struggle is to be expected, however, doctors will tell you that people who find a way to work through the emotions and stay positive tend to have better outcomes.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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