Search Results

Laura

I was diagnosed with stage IVB Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) about a week after my 30th birthday in 2018. I was a new mom to an 8-month-old baby and had been experiencing several symptoms of Lymphomas the months after having my son, but I assumed they were from having a child and would never thought in a million years that it was cancer. I received all of my care at The University of Michigan Cancer Center. My NP Dava and my doctor, Dr. Gitlin were top-notch in both my medical and mental treatment and care.

Paula

My Cancer Story/Journey so far:

I was diagnosed 21 years ago at age 44 with low-grade indolent B cell follicular lymphoma.

I went for a routine colonoscopy, and they found a very small swollen lymph node in my ileum. I had absolutely no symptoms at all. After two colonoscopies in two weeks and four medical consultations, I went through CHOP chemotherapy. Today, they would have just done "wait and watch." At the end of my treatment, even my oncologist said if I had come to him without other recommendations, he would have done nothing. Anyway, that is history.

Nancy

Being a lymphoma survivor means that you have lived through something very challenging. There is no doubt that cancer is one of the most challenging diseases. The treatments for this disease are very intense physically, mentally, and emotionally. As a retired oncology registered nurse, I saw the pain and desperation in the eyes and lives of my patients and their families. Never imagined that I was to become a cancer patient myself.

Lily

My name is Lily Tran. On December 7, 2007 my father passed away. A week after returning home from the funeral, I was sick with pneumonia. My primary care doctor prescribed me antibiotics and an inhaler. Two weeks later, I was still not feeling well. I was swelling and I was experiencing a sharp pain on the right side of my stomach. In January 2008, I went to the ER and they did an ultrasound of my stomach and saw something was wrong with my gallbladder and admitted me to the hospital for an operation to remove the gallbladder.

Chrystal

I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in June 1991, about a month shy of my 21st birthday. I was in school for cosmetology, had just signed divorce papers from my first husband and was dating the man who would become my second husband. Life was great for me.

Kamisa

August 9, 2019, what should’ve been the happiest day of my life turned out to be the worst. I gave birth to my beautiful son, only to find out I had stage 2 non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma. Being a new mom I totally freaked out. But after six months of treatment and lots of prayer, I’m in remission.

Ella

Meet Ella. Lymphoma Survivor. All Star Cheerleader. Ella's first symptoms, at age 2 1/2, had all the indications of child abuse, until doctors discovered a large tumor just in time to save her life. From that accidental diagnosis Ella has grown into a healthy, funny, all star cheerleading, incredible 12-year-old.

Michael

My son Michael Angelo Gianchiglia passed away from non-Hodgkin lymphoma July 21, 2011.

Angelo was 26 years old. He fought the fight through chemo, radiation and finally a clinical trial.

He fought for two years. Our family considers Michael as a winner and a hero!!!

Forever loved. Forever in our hearts.

Kacy

I am on this adventure to help others and challenge myself! I do not have a personal story or relationship with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), but I am honored to be nominated as a Visionary and know my involvement will help change lives. I also want to share this experience with my daughter and teach her the power of action. I am excited to see where this goes, and the sky is the limit!

Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

In autologous stem cell transplantation, the procedure uses the patient’s own stem cells for the transplant. The stem cells are collected from the patient in advance and are frozen. After the patient undergoes high doses of chemotherapy, either with or without radiation therapy, the stem cells are then returned to the body. This type of transplant is often used to treat blood cancers such as Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma.  

 

Jacqueline

After a year of misdiagnoses, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) on Valentine's Day 2007 when I was 22 years old. I had to take medical leave from my senior year of college to move home with my parents to undergo treatment in Albany, New York. After seven months of chemo, I was in remission and have been since!

Zoe

My name is Zoe. I am 23 years old, and I am currently on my way to remission from primary mediastinal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PMBL). It was always my dream to be a young mom, and when I finally got pregnant, I could not have been happier. However, I got to 32 weeks pregnant, and I was severely out of breath. I went to the hospital which led me to finding out I had lymphoma. They found a 12 cm. mass in my chest. My whole life came crumbling down at that very moment. I had no symptoms of my cancer whatsoever, and doctors thought I had a 1% chance of having cancer.

Christian

I'm Christian, a 20-year-old patient currently fighting a rare type of lymphoma with no cure. It's called subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma. I was diagnosed on January 27, 2020, after a year of many tests and hospital stays. I pushed myself to get through high school and thank God and with a lot of hard work, I finished and graduated with my class, even while on a chemo-like treatment.

I never quit finished at the top of my classes and a perseverance award. I'm currently on a medical clinical trial treatment at City of Hope.

David

I am a proud, 52-year-old stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor now living in Los Angeles again (my long-time home). I was living in Cleveland to help with some family matters for a couple of years. I found a great new job in Los Angeles, and the very day I accepted the new job, I received my diagnosis (August 25, 2022). That put my life on hold.

Andrew

My son, Andrew, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in January 2022. He had been very tired for months, and we had a frustrating few months while our primary care physician (PCP) missed his diagnosis and chalked it up to being a busy teen and perhaps needing a sleep study. When he was finally diagnosed, he was stage 4. He underwent six months of intense chemotherapy. Mid-treatment scans showed a complete response, and we were excited and relieved. His post-treatment PET scan, however, showed recurrence.

Kay and David LaFrance

As an 18-year breast cancer survivor, Kay was just starting to enjoy retirement in 2018 when she was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma. Even though she had fought cancer before, she was stricken with despair and disbelief and felt terrified of the road ahead of her. She had to travel to a different city to receive her specialized treatment, which was outside of her insurance network, so much of the costs came out of her own pocket. After a long, hard fight, she is now in remission, but lives with the everyday fear of her cancer coming back.

Elyssa

My daughter, Elyssa donated her hair for children with cancer only months before she herself was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. Upon her diagnosis, she had the rest of her hair put in ponytails and had it cut to her scalp so the rest could be donated.

Being diagnosed in her first year of college at University of Connecticut, she immediately went to the disabilities office and applied so she could continue with the semester.

Heather

Heather Banks draws her inspiration from her good friend, who has been fighting non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for the past 10 years and her college best friend who is a survivor. She is motivated by her friends’ strength, determination, and positivity. In times of feeling helpless, she channels that energy and puts it into her sewing machine.  

Jessica

My name is Jessi, and I am a stage 4B Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor. My journey to diagnosis was a long and winding road, filled with misdiagnoses until January 2016 when my battle truly began. That year was the toughest of my life, enduring the rigors of chemo and radiation. But it was also the year I decided to document my journey through my blog, Lymphoma Barbie, not just as a personal outlet but as a beacon of hope for others navigating the murky waters of cancer.

Terry

My life has been an interesting journey. In April 2019, I lost my wife of 20 years, and in August 2020, I lost my older brother to leukemia. My wife was 50, and my brother was 64. After several months of excruciating pain in my abdomen, I was finally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL) in May 2021. I was 58. Upon entering the hospital in June for my first round of chemo, I was diagnosed with acute renal failure. After several days of treatment, I finally started my chemotherapy. I was lucky, or so I thought, no radiation for me.

Gabe

Just after I turned 12 years old, I was diagnosed with blood cancer. LLS supported me and my family as I endured chemotherapy treatment to be cancer free and beat Burkitts lymphoma. Now 16, I am inspired everyday to work hard in school to achieve my goal of becoming an oncologist to help kids, like me, beat blood cancer. Thank you LLS!

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for HL. A combination chemotherapy regimen consists of two or more chemotherapy drugs. Generally, the drugs are dissolved in fluid and usually administered via a peripheral intravenous (IV) line. If finding an accessible vein is problematic, a central line (a port, or a peripherally inserted central venous catheter (a PICC or PIC line) may be used for some HL patients. 

Side Effects

Cancer treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma can produce side effects. The goal of treatment is to kill the cancer cells, but cancer treatments can damage healthy cells too which causes side effects.

Patients react to treatments in different ways. Some patients may have very mild side effects.  For other patients, side effects can be more severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. For most patients, treatment side effects are temporary and go away once therapy ends.

Chaneta Juliet

Hi, my name is Chaneta, I like to go by Juliet. This past year has been an interesting one, to say the least. I’m a singer-songwriter who wrote and released an album in October 2017. I thought the year was going to be an amazing one–promoting and performing–unfortunately, I performed one time and I began to literally unravel. In December 2017, I caught the flu. Normal stuff, not too bad right? Well, about three weeks in, it got worse. It turned into walking pneumonia. Chest X-rays revealed a blood clot lodged in my right-side lung.

Emily

Summer 2019 I was feeling great and cancer was the last thing on my mind. I had just run a half marathon and was planning to do a few more destination races. Shortly after the half marathon, I started getting awful knee pain. It was excruciating but I never thought much of it, assuming it was just an injury. After making an appointment at a sports medicine facility an MRI revealed there was a good size tumor in my left knee. This doctor told me it is most likely a giant cell tumor which is benign. From there he referred me to an orthopedic specialist down in Boston.