My journey is not over yet. I was diagnosed in 2019 with triple-hit diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most fearsome of the DLBCL constellation of lymphomas. My oncologist told me that in addition to chemo, I would need, in order to survive, an autologous stem cell transplant.
I came down with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2006 which transformed into an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (NHL) in 2013. In 2015, I received an umbilical cord transplant at Penn Medicine Hospital in Philadelphia which was successful. This month, I celebrate nine years post-transplant.
My experience with lymphoma began unexpectedly in August 2016. I began experiencing back pain with a large swollen band growing diagonally across my back. Thinking it was probably muscular, I went to see my physician who ordered an MRI. Cancer had never crossed my mind when he called me that same day and said I needed to be seen very soon by an oncologist.
I am a stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor (NHL). The diagnosis came as a complete shock since I was a relatively healthy, active young adult working and enjoying life with family and friends. With a family history of breast cancer, I was advised to start having screening mammograms in my 20s.
I marked my 19th year of being cancer-free from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) on August 16, 2024. From February (on my 57th birthday!) to August 2005, I received seven rounds of R-CHOP, the gold treatment back then in the world and in Serbia where I live.
In 2001, I described my health as excellent. I had a great job, was very physically active, and participated in a number of nonprofit activities. However, I very occasionally experienced extreme abdominal cramps that caused nausea and curling into a fetal position for approximately five hours. Doctors were perplexed, though suspected gallstones.
In 2017, I found out I had non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). I was always a healthy person who exercised almost daily at the time, so this came as a complete shock. I immediately wanted to start treatment; the sooner the better. My wife did all the research and investigating into where I could find the best treatment as quickly as possible.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a life-altering moment that set me on a challenging path. I endured rigorous chemotherapy treatments, followed by a life-saving transplant in 2020. Afterward, I underwent 18 additional rounds of maintenance therapy. Today, I am proud to say I've been in remission for nearly five years.
In November 2023, on my 40th birthday, I had a biopsy on my neck for a swollen lymph node. We originally thought it was thyroid issues, but several scans and biopsies later led me to Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami.
My journey began a few months into 2020. I was making plans to celebrate my birthday by going to some amusement parks I hadn't been to in many years. Unfortunately, that's when the pandemic hit, and going to the parks was no longer an option. A few months later, I started to get sick. Fever, night sweats, little to no appetite, weight loss. We didn't know if it was COVID-19 or not.