Persons newly diagnosed with a blood cancer need reliable resources

When Gary Su learned he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), he depended on sources like the LLSC for information as well as support

Last fall, Gary Su noticed a few strange symptoms.

“I would go upstairs and have to sit down because my heart was pounding so fast,” says Su, who lives in Calgary. “My routine was to go for a walk every day, and in the second half of [the walk], I just couldn’t catch my breath.”

Still, Su didn’t think too much of it: He was 33, after all, and managing a full-time job as a clinical counselor and social worker. He thought his shortness of breath was because of the crisp fall air or that a cold was coming on.

It wasn’t until he visited a friend, who happened to work in oncology, that Su realized it might be more serious than he’d imagined. “He saw that I was really off, [and that] it wasn’t typical tiredness or a cold,” Su recalls.