V's Version

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Marathon

My former housemate, Aaron, suggested to his friend, Kate Platonova (who will be running a marathon for the first time) that she run in my honor. She said that she would. Wow. Then she asked me to write a paragraph about my sitch. Click on the link above to learn more.


My name is V Kingsley and I am honored that you are running a marathon to raise money for and awareness of leukemia and lymphoma. I have both lymphoma and a skin-blistering allergic reaction to it called paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP). Research and treatment (both alternative and western) are critical in the fight to stay alive. Although I am legally blind because of the diseases, I can now see with prosthetics from the Boston Foundation for Sight and although the medical bills for chemotherapy and infusions of gamma globulin (IVIG) are astronomical, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helps me to chip away at them.

I believe that I am the only known person with non-operable lymphoma to have survived PNP more than two years. It is normally a death sentence. After nearly four years of battling these diseases, at the age of 40, I appear recently to be in remission of both. My gratitude is palpable, motivating every aspect of my life: relationships, parenting, spirituality, artwork. There is NO WAY that I would be alive without the help of many individuals and organizations. The road to remission is paved with many steps and I do not walk this road alone.

To read of my story, please visit my website: www.alotoflife.com


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