Leukemia Survivors Program

You’ve survived leukemia – so now what?

Whether you’ve just finished your last round of chemotherapy or you’ve been cancer-free for years, your long-term health care needs as a survivor are different from those of a “regular” patient. You may have had aggressive treatments to survive your disease—treatments that might cause health complications down the road. You may be looking for help in getting back to your school, your job, and your relationships as you move from cancer patient to cancer survivor. The Michael J. Garil Leukemia Survivors Program can help.

The Michael J. Garil Leukemia Survivors Program is comprised of two main components. The program's Life Clinic at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center promotes the long-term health of patients who have survived childhood leukemia. Here, we chart patients' new course to living healthy again by developing a long-term plan for a strong body and sound mind. The program's research initiatives aim to better understand the reasons certain patients are predisposed to the long-term effects of cancer therapy, as well as how adverse late effects impact the lives of survivors.

The Survivor Program benefits from the same expertise and groundbreaking research and clinical programs that have made The Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center a world leader in cancer treatment. The Center is on the list of survivor follow-up care clinics recommended by the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). We’re also members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the National Cancer Institute’s Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

The Life Clinic

Did you know that survivors of leukemia are at increased risk for certain health problems, which tend to increase with age, and yet few survivors—especially those who had cancer as a child—visit a cancer center to get any kind of follow-up care? 

The Life Clinic at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center is an integral part of the Michael J. Garil Leukemia Survivors Program where we chart your new course to living healthy again. Our program’s goal is to educate you and your family about your disease and treatment, specifically to help prevent further health problems or to reduce the burden of complications that may already exist as a result of the cancer or its treatment. The Life Clinic provides each patient with an individualized, long-term plan for a strong body and sound mind.

The Life Clinic at Johns Hopkins...where we help you get back to living. To learn how, read these frequently asked questions about the clinic: 

What services does the Life Clinic offer?

• information on leukemia, leukemia treatment, and its late effects on health
• a personalized summary of your leukemia treatment and related risk of late effects—tools to help you watch for the appearance of late effects
• lifestyle recommendations to help you avoid or reduce late effects
• regularly updated medical care recommendations, based on the most recent research
• follow-up appointments and consultations with Johns Hopkins leukemia experts

Do you have to be a current or former leukemia patient at Johns Hopkins to participate in the Survivors’ Program?

The program is open to all leukemia survivors—no matter when or where you were treated. All childhood and adult leukemia survivors are welcome. Patients who were not treated at Johns Hopkins should provide as much information as possible from their medical records and past physicians about their past cancer treatment to the Life Clinic. Our program clinicians can use this information to build your personalized, two-page summary of treatment and late-effect risks.

Does the Survivors Program have its own counseling service?

The Survivors Program does not offer its own specialized counseling services, but survivors may choose to seek psychological, emotional and practical life skills care from one of several cancer counseling services offered by the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. For more information, visit Support for Survivors

How do I join the Survivors Program?

If you are a leukemia survivor and would like to participate in the program, please contact:
 Kathy Ruble, Ph.D , R.N., N.P. at (410) 955-8751 for an appointment.

All participants must make an appointment at Johns Hopkins; If you are a new patient to Johns Hopkins please contact:
 Latoya Ludd at 410-502-7555;  we do not offer consultations by  phone or e-mail.

The clinic is open Tuesday from 9 a.m.– 4 p .m.