Inspirational Stories

I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in July 2022 after two years of being sick. I underwent 12 rounds of AAVD chemotherapy for six months. It was a difficult journey, but I had an amazing oncology team who let me be actively involved in my treatment. I was born disabled and have had a lot of experiences in hospitals. So, I thought I would be prepared for this journey. I was wrong. I was only 24 years old when I got diagnosed, and I felt like I had my whole life ahead of me. As an advocate for environmental issues, I was used to traveling and working non-stop. Somehow, I thought I could work through chemo. While I know that some people do, I quickly realized that it was impossible for me.

I began to focus on learning everything I could about lymphoma. My research found how common it was among young girls my age. This is what inspired me to start sharing my story. As an adolescent and young adult (AYA) with cancer, I was often the youngest person in my infusion center. It made it difficult because the one place you thought you would have something in common with everyone still made you feel different. In sharing my story, I wanted to show young women specifically what options were available to them, like fertility preservation and other non-common treatments. I became aware of LLUSA as I was looking for grants to cover costs during treatment. I was fortunate to get a one-time stipend to cover costs and $500 for transportation expenses. This was incredibly helpful in ensuring I always had a way to get to my treatments. It was one less thing I had to worry about.

Since being in remission, I have continued to share my story of survivorship. There is a common misconception that cancer is only when you are in active treatment and that your life goes back to normal when you are done. I found survivorship harder than treatment in many ways. Through sharing my story on social media, I have connected with other lymphoma patients who have helped me feel less alone in this journey. The most important thing I learned is that survivorship isn't just when you finish active treatment but every day you get up and try your best.