Inspirational Stories

I was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in preparation for heart surgery. While my disease was stage 3, it was also slow-growing, and I went ahead and had open-heart surgery in January 2022 to repair a valve. Six months later, my disease had advanced, and I began four rounds of Rituxan® which did not work sufficiently. However, in that interim, I signed up for the Boston Marathon ― which goes by my house ― to run for Dana Farber where I am being treated. My oncologist advised that I begin chemo and immunotherapy for six months, which I did while training and running the marathon. I had my fifth cycle of chemo the day after the marathon. I decided early after my diagnosis that I was going to LIVE with my disease, not be defined by it. It was a crazy thing to do running a marathon while going through chemo, after heart surgery, but I share it as an example of what the body is capable of in recovering from serious health challenges.