You might have heard of the recent political situation where President Donald Trump criticized retired Adm. William H. McRaven on a number of issues.
We’re not going to dig into the politics of the back-and-forth – that’s for another website to chime in on.
Instead, we wanted to highlight the fact that Adm. McRaven is currently battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a rare cancer.
What is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?
CLL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made).
Leukemia in particular is cancer of the white blood cells, which help the body fight infections. Those with leukemia have bone marrow that produces abnormal white blood cells that then crowd out healthy blood cells. In CLL, there are too many lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
Many patients with CLL show no early symptoms, but those who develop symptoms later may experience:
- Enlarged, painless lymph nodes
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Pain in the upper left portion of the abdomen, which may be caused by an enlarged spleen
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Frequent infections
To read more about CLL, click here.
Fighting Wars and Cancer
McRaven has a lengthy, impressive resume that deserves our respect and admiration. Sadly, cancer effectively retired McRaven from combat when he was diagnosed with CLL in 2010… while in Afghanistan!
The doctor ordered McRaven out of Afghanistan immediately, and promptly had his spleen removed before start on chemotherapy.
This man was responsible for helping bring down Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden – as well as fought in several wars throughout his decades of years of service to this country – but even a hero such as him has to contend with a rare disease, like so many in this community.
While CLL may not get much of a mention in this latest political episode, we thought it was important to point out another relevant connecting to the rare disease community. The more attention we give to rare diseases, the better chance we have to make a real difference in advocacy.
