Inspirational Stories

My name is Savanna, I’m 24 years old, and I am a two-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor! I was diagnosed in 2017 when I was 18 during my freshman year of college. I had been severely sick for a year and a half with symptoms ranging from nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, lack of appetite to a distended abdomen, debilitating migraines, swollen lymph nodes all over my body, extreme fatigue, and drenching night sweats. I had test after test done, saw doctor after doctor, and after months of being my own advocate, I had finally received a diagnosis. After a PET scan and bone marrow biopsy, it was confirmed I had stage IV unfavorable HL. My PET scan lit up nearly everywhere; I had disease in my stomach, spleen, chest, and bone marrow, and treatment was to begin immediately. Upon leaving college in the middle of the semester, my doctor started treatment under the intense BEACOPP chemotherapy regimen along with radiation as my treatment plan. After about two chemo cycles, my next PET scan showed that nearly all the disease was gone. I was practically in remission! I went on to receive three more rounds of chemo and 15 doses of radiation to my chest. In May 2018, I was officially in remission. 

That August, before returning to college, I had a routine PET scan done, and a small light showed up in my abdomen. I freaked out, but my doctor maintained her cool and told me it was no big concern at that point in time. I went back home for winter break and had another PET scan done, and the light from before was still there. My doctor wanted a biopsy done, and to everyone’s shock and dismay, the biopsy showed that the light was HL. After being in complete remission for nine months, the cancer had come back. My doctor revealed that despite my great response, I had so much initial disease in my body that it was possible that some mutated lymphocytes were not caught and were so small that they couldn’t be detected in my PET scans and eventually formed infected lymph nodes, thus igniting the sudden, heartbreaking recurrence. After some time, I moved past the bitterness and was determined to once again remain hopeful and positive. I took another medical leave from school and underwent three rounds of the salvage chemo brentuximab and immunotherapy gemcitabine prior to receiving my stem cell transplant. A clean scan in March 2018 gave the go-ahead for the stem cell extraction. Luckily with my age, physical state, and general health, I was able to be my own donor and had an autologous transplant. 

In early April, I was admitted into the hospital and began BEAM high-dose chemo that day which lasted for six days total. On April 11, I had my stem cell transplant (my “second” birthday!). I spent three weeks total in the hospital in isolation. I didn’t eat for two out of the three weeks due to loss of appetite and all the sores in my mouth and throat from the chemo. I never threw up from regular chemo, but the high-dose chemo had me throwing up every day for a week. I am typically opposed to using narcotic pain medication, but liquid morphine became an everyday necessity. Gathering enough energy to be able to shower would be the highlight of my day. A month later, my post-transplant PET scan came out clean. Four and a half years later I am still in remission and hope my next scan comes out clean, marking five years in remission and officially being cancer-free! In that time frame, I was able to finish college, get both my Bachelor's and Master’s degrees, and create my post-cancer “new normal.” I am also currently in 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training where I intend to teach trauma-informed yoga specifically for cancer fighters and thrivers. 
While I am in remission, my cancer journey will be a lifelong journey in which I will advocate for my fellow fighters and thrivers every day! I didn’t want to go through with any of this, but I needed to. As cliche as it sounds, my cancer journey has changed me and made me a much better person. It first taught me that we as individuals are our own biggest advocates. It also taught me true, unadulterated gratitude. I’m grateful for my body fighting for me when my mind couldn’t. I’m grateful for the doctors, nurses, and support teams that treated me and cared for me. I’m grateful for the incredible woman that resulted from this process. My experience with cancer has taught me the importance of living a healthy life, the lasting impact of love, and truly how amazing life is. I am grateful to be alive and healthy, and I am grateful for everyone who has helped during my journey. I am so privileged to have had access to the treatment options I had and to have had such an undeterred and powerful support system. I hope I can be a beacon of hope to others and shed my light on the devastating impact of cancer. I know with continued research and advocacy, we will find a cure!