My story began nearly seven years ago on February 28 when I received the call from my doctor and heard those dreaded words, “You have cancer.” A week prior, I had gotten a lymph node biopsy for a lump that randomly grew on my neck.
Being a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors is allowing me to continue my education and pursue the life cancer tried to take away from me.
During the start of the pandemic, my boyfriend began working out from home with all the gyms being closed. While working out, he discovered a lump under his arm. We both waved it off as nothing to worry about, but he still asked his doctor about it just in case.
On July 15, 2019, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Before this, I was a healthy teenage girl going into my sophomore year of high school and playing volleyball. I started chemo and did four aggressive rounds. I finished chemo on October 3, 2019.
From December 2021-January 2022, I had just come off orientation for my new job as a registered nurse. I was working the night shift and just thought I was experiencing the "usual" night shift symptoms. I was ALWAYS tired, had terrible back pain, and had such a shift in my appetite.
As an oblivious 14-year-old, I never imagined that I would soon go through the most difficult journey of my life. While on summer vacation with my family, we quickly realized I was not my energetic, joyous self.
My cancer journey began on June 24, 2018. A month before that day, I'd experienced chest pains, night sweats, and shortness of breath. After scheduling a doctor's appointment, my primary physician determined that it was merely an upper respiratory infection. For a week, I took the medicine prescribed by my doctor, hoping that I would soon feel well again.
Megan is my daughter. She was diagnosed in April 2020 with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at the age of 16. At the time, Megan was finishing up her sophomore year of high school.
I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in 2000 and had seven months of chemotherapy (ABVD) and 20 rounds of radiation. I have not had a reoccurrence of HL, but in 2014, I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).