Kareem told the Associated press Monday that he was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia. An exam showed his white blood cell count was "sky high" and a doctor quickly diagnosed his condition. At first, all Jabbar heard was the word Leukemia. "I was scared," he said. "I thought it was all the same. I thought it could mean I have a month to live." "That was my first question," he said. "Was I going to make it?"
His doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: "You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle."
Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease ironically he is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness.
Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated.
About 5,000 cases of CML are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society said. More than 22,000 people are living in the US with the disease.
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