 And as a two-time cancer survivor, I can tell you nothing prepared me for the challenge of lymphedema, a chronic disease often brought on by cancer treatment that compromises the lymphatic system and leads to a lifetime of severe swelling and pain. Lymphedema, LE, affects more Americans each year than AIDS, Parkinson's, MS, muscular dystrophy, and ALS combined. Yet with proper treatment, it can be managed or even prevented.