Inspirational Stories
Tim
non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
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.
![middle aged white man with beard and mustache shown in two photos one running a marathon one in the hospital wearing a mask](/sites/default/files/inspirational-stories/image-field/2024-08/middle%20aged%20white%20man%20with%20beard%20and%20mustache%20shown%20in%20two%20photos%20one%20running%20a%20marathon%20one%20in%20the%20hospital%20wearing%20a%20mask.jpg)