CLL hasn't stopped me at all. If anything, I think it might encourage me to even live life even fuller.

My name is Wendy. I live in Southern Maryland. I've been here pretty much all of my life. I've been married to my husband, Glenn, for almost five years now, and I have four kids and seven grandchildren.

We’re very active. We go camping, kayaking, hiking. I like going to the beach, looking for seashells, and of course, spending time with my family and my grandkids.

In December of 2020…

I was diagnosed with CLL. I started having symptoms in October. It started with headaches every day for about two weeks. And then I noticed a lump on the base of my skull back on my neck. And it continued to get worse over the weekend, so I went to my primary care doctor and she started doing a lot of tests and told me that she was going to have to call her friend the oncologist, which was a little scary. And he did a lot more tests. And in order to get the diagnosis, they took a lymph node out of my neck, close to where everything started and biopsied that. That was what actually determined that it, it was CLL.

When I first was diagnosed, I was very scared and upset. I was expecting the worst and hoping for the best. So, I imagined that I might just have a few months to live, so that was very upsetting. I thought a lot about my family. I hoped that I'd have another chance to go to the beach. So, when I found out that it was CLL, it was a little bit of a relief because the doctor explained that it was a good prognosis.

I looked up a support group on social media, which was really helpful. They helped answer questions and my oncologist did some research and felt that CALQUENCE was the most appropriate treatment for me.

When I was first prescribed the CALQUENCE,…

… my doctor gave me a printout with a bunch of information on how it worked, what it did, what to expect. So, I went through that, and I also came home and did some research on my own looking it up on the internet.

Once I started taking the CALQUENCE, my symptoms improved. The swollen lymph nodes went down, the pain improved, the fatigue improved.

I was told to take it twice a day, about 12 hours apart in the morning and at night. And I was fine with that. I have a little pill organizer that I set out for the week, and I set that near where I'll be in the morning, like my desk at work. And then at night I set an alarm on my phone, and I was good with taking it twice a day.

It’s really not a big deal to take a pill twice a day…

… to make sure that I stay healthy. My oncologist let me know what the potential side effects could be, and after I started taking it, I did talk to him about the side effects that I was having. On the first day I felt pretty nauseous. I had headaches for a couple of weeks.

I also had to go to the bathroom a little more often. I've been taking CALQUENCE about three years, and over the course of that I do experience some side effects, which I take some medicine for. But other than that, I'm feeling really good.

My biggest source of support throughout this CLL journey has been my husband, Glenn. He's been there for me the whole time. It was pretty scary at first, and he was right there with me holding my hand.

Having cancer is hard, no matter what type of cancer it is. And he's just a hundred percent supportive and there for me. My message to people that have just…

… been diagnosed with CLL is to be honest with their doctor. Tell their doctor everything that's going on. Be your own advocate. Always speak up at your doctor's appointments. Make a list of questions and write down everything the doctor says. That's what I do.

I’m very thankful to be on CALQUENCE. I just want to take advantage of every minute. So, go out there and do fun things, and have fun experiences, and just live life.

CALQUENCE is a prescription oral treatment for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma. May cause serious side effects including serious infections, bleeding problems, decrease in blood cell count, new cancers, and heart rhythm problems. Some may lead to death. Tell your doctor if you experience infections such as flu-like symptoms, unexpected bleeding such as blood in your stool or urine, or heart rhythm problems such as fast or irregular heartbeat. Use sun protection when outside.

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