The Best Medicine
- ‘SNL’ alum Vanessa Bayer was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 15-years-old. She credits her cancer battle with inspiring her to go into comedy.
- Bayer went through years of chemotherapy and radiation treatment before going into remission during the summer before her senior year of high school.
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes a type of white blood cell.
Bayer was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 15-years-old. She first realized something was wrong during her 9th grade spring vacation. She was tipped off by "flu-like symptoms and a swollen eye," she told Page Six. "First we thought it was an infection, and then we couldn’t figure it out. Finally, I was diagnosed with leukemia.”
Read More“It’s so therapeutic to laugh,” she told Coping Magazine. “And, besides, anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in a hospital knows there’s a lot to laugh at. I think having cancer has definitely shaped my comedy because I found so many ways and reasons to laugh while I was sick, and it really gave me a stronger comedic point of view.”
In addition to pushing Bayer toward comedy, fighting cancer gave her a perspective prepared her to ride out the ups and downs of life. "I think the biggest thing it’s done is given me empathy for other people dealing with illness or other trauma. We all have something going on," she said.
What is ALL?
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes a type of white blood cell. These blood cells are critical to the immune system, as they help fight infections by attacking bacteria, germs, and viruses. Signs of ALL typically include fever as well as unexplained bruising. The disease is diagnosed through bone marrow and blood tests. Leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in young children, and three out of four pediatric cancer patients will be diagnosed with ALL.
Chemotherapy for ALL: A Survivor's Experience
Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor Justice Wexler is grateful that he beat the disease, but he’s not afraid to admit that chemo was one of the hardest experiences of his life. Now, as a side effect of his treatment, he is dealing with heart disease.
"He's a cancer survivor, but now we're dealing with heart disease," Justice's mother, Jayne Wexler, tells SurvivorNet. "This is because of the chemo. Chemo induced cardiomyopathy."
ALL survivor Justice Wexler breaks down the chemotherapy experience.
Despite this side effect and the challenge of going through chemo itself, Justice says he feels stronger because of his cancer journey. He encourages children facing similar diagnoses to be proud of their bravery, and to use their experience to put other setbacks in perspective.
"If you're ashamed of what you've been through, don't be," Justice says. "It makes you stronger as a person. While I would trade what happened to me in an instant, like if I'm failing in school, whatever, it's like, I beat cancer."
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