When Angela Lanford had a miscarriage at age 33, her grief was met with more hard news. Her blood work showed concerns and doctors soon diagnosed her with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. 

Fearing a death sentence, her doctors reassured her this wasn’t the end. 

Nearly 30 years later, Lanford now lives a fulfilling life. She went on to have two children, completed a 36-year career in teaching children with special needs and recently ran her first 10K race. 

Lanford went through chemotherapy and has been through various treatments and infusions over the years through the guidance of her multidisciplinary team at Gibbs Cancer Center. She still has regular treatments at home to boost her immune system and routinely monitors the cells in her bone marrow. 

“It’s made my faith stronger,” she said. “I’m not a super woman or anything. This can happen to anybody, but something like this makes you slow down and think about the choices you make in life.” 

Lanford has had several oncologists over the years who have reassured her that technology is on her side. As she gets older, advancements in medicine have improved leukemia research and the types of treatments offered. 

Rather than make her stop thriving and “crawl up in a shell,” her journey with cancer has led to a full life. 

By 2020, she retired from teaching and in recent years has been much more conscious about her health and immune system. Previously, she became winded and fatigued walking short distances. Now she is an endurance runner and has incorporated strength training into her routine exercise. 

She said there are still moments when it feels like a “dark cloud” is over her – wondering whether the leukemia has advanced is always in the back of her mind. Yet through the reassurance of her providers at Gibbs Cancer Center, she can move forward with confidence. 

“I’m always the fix-it person and I tend to want to have control over everything and you just can’t with something like this,” she said. “I had to at some point say, ‘OK, show me what I need to do’ and I had to ask for help and just make day-to-day decisions.” 

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a type of cancer that occurs when the bone marrow produces too many lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell. It is typically slow growing, can be under control for many years and can be managed with treatment. Most patients do not exhibit any visible symptoms before they are diagnosed. 

There were an estimated 20,700 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2024, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

“You have to trust your physicians and you have to trust in the Lord,” she said. “I see so many people when I come in here to Gibbs and I want to encourage them by saying that with cancer research, there’s a lot of good stuff going on. They’ve come a long way.” 

To learn more about Gibbs Cancer Center services, visit Cancer Screenings and Treatment | Spartanburg Regional.