Inspirational Stories

It was Monday morning in January 2021. I gave my results to my wife at the kitchen table. She asked if I had read them, and I said no. I had been struggling with a chronic cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath for two to three months, so a CT scan was done to evaluate my lungs. I was simply too tired to read them. My wife scanned the papers and immediately started crying. There was a large 16 cm. tumor in my chest that was creating the symptoms and pressing on my lungs. We would soon find out from the biopsy that I had a rare form of lymphoma called primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). I was 38 years old.

This all happened during the height of the COVID pandemic. Not many offices were doing in-person visits. I was fortunate to meet my oncologist who saw me in person and facilitated my treatments. It took six rounds of intense chemotherapy and immunotherapy followed by months of pain as my body responded to all the different medications. There are moments in life when you are in so much pain you can’t even pray. I was at that point. Not only was cancer difficult for me, it was extremely emotionally difficult for my wife who helped care for me. Cancer not only affects the person suffering from it, but it also affects the surrounding loved ones.

I am relieved to report that I went into remission and was recently able to celebrate the birth of my first child. He was born two years after my cancer diagnosis in January 2023. As I look back, I am deeply grateful for my faith, my family, my friends, and my colleagues for supporting me on this journey. I am especially grateful for the team of medical professionals who treated me and for all the research that has been done to help patients like me get the best care possible.