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Jackie’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma)

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Apr
29
2013
Hodgkin's Lymphoma Story

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! In 2007 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Cancer, 6 mos after my ex-husband and I were getting a divorce. I felt my life was upside down. In the midst of this I had a sweet angel my daughter, Taelor. She is so amazing. She was 5 when I was diagnosed. I didn’t quite understand it. I felt like I wasn’t in my body. I felt numb, angry, and, of course, I had to ask myself, WHY ME! I was stage 2. I had to get a port put in. Then I started this CHEMO which was EVIL!! ABVD was the drug. I lost all my hair, gained 40 lbs, and was in so much pain. I wanted to die and not fight anymore. I would take pain meds and they didn’t touch it. My daughter would crawl into bed with me and read. I was lethargic. She would just rub my face and say "mommy, please tell God to make you better". I would cry. I didn’t want to give up on her so I kept fighting! My biggest problem was I had no control over my life but I knew it was just temporary. The … [Read more...]

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Crystal’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma)

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Apr
10
2012
Crystal's Story (Hodgkin's Lymphoma) LR

I've been through a lot in my life. I grew up with an alcoholic mother that in October of 2008 committed suicide and passed away. Yeah, we might not have gotten along as well as much as I would have liked us to, but it was still the hardest thing I have ever gone through. In November 2009, I thought that things were going to start to get better in my life - I married the man of my dreams!! The day of the wedding I was sicker then a dog - had no idea why. During the whole wedding, I had a 104.3 fever but the show must go on, I said. A week later we went on our honeymoon. I was better by then, by the way. We got to Aruba and 3 days later got sent back to America because I had my hair braided and had a allergic reaction to something they put in my hair and the hospital in Aruba couldn't do anything to help me. By the time I got back to NJ the doctor in the hospital said it was good we came back because my throat was beginning to close. Apparently, I've had it rough my whole … [Read more...]

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Does it Ever Really Go Away?

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Jan
03
2012
Move on

In February 2010, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In September 2010, I was declared in remission. In December 2010, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and was told I would have to have the other half of my thyroid removed. In February 2011, I had it removed, and was told that it was also malignant. Then in August, finally some good news. I was pregnant. And we have since found out we are having another baby boy and he is due on Easter Sunday. I am classed as a "high risk" pregnancy. To be totally honest, I thought that if anything was going to make for a complicated pregnancy, it would be because of my 6 months of chemo. I was wrong. What makes for a complicated pregnancy, is my thyroid, or lack of. I never thought that not having a thyroid would class me as a high risk pregnancy. Apparently, it does. I was told the other day that I talk about my cancer a lot. I think that when you have had cancer, it never goes away, even when you are in … [Read more...]

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Daphne’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma)

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Dec
11
2011
Lime Ribbon Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

September of 2007 I had finally had enough. My back had been hurting for a few years, just getting worse- this Dr said this, that one said something else. My primary ordered an MRI after countless CT’s with no answer. Two days later I got a call that I needed to see an oncologist- I had some enlarged lymph nodes. Ok, that scared me a good bit, went to see the oncologist. They did a biopsy and a PET- yup, its non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - slow growing but EVERYWHERE - like too many nodes involved to even count. But ya know thats not when I started fighting like a girl. After a few chemos, I could not take the pain I felt all over my body. Somehow this cancer and chemo threw my body into meltdown. The tumor pain was horrid, the vincristine from the chemo was causing nerve and muscle damage. I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis so, compounded, I felt like I had been given a life sentence to that firey place below. I had a grandbaby born the following August.  When I heard I was going … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lymphoma Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!

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Sep
08
2011
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!  Do you know what that means??  It's time to take action in the fight against pediatric cancer!  This month, I want to share some important statistics and resources about childhood cancer and how to become an advocate for all of the kids who have, are, and will fight.  It doesn’t take much but a heart for kids to make a difference! First, here are some major childhood cancer statistics…you can raise awareness simply by sharing these facts! -Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease in kids -46 children each school day are diagnosed with cancer -7 children die each day from cancer -40,000 children are presently being treated for cancer in the United States -2/3 of childhood cancer survivors will suffer some type of long term effect resulting from treatment -1 out of 5 children diagnosed with cancer dies and in some types of cancer, 1 out of 5 lives -When diagnosed with cancer, 80% of children are diagnosed … [Read more...]

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Jaime’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma)

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Aug
02
2011
Jaime's Story (Hodgkin's Lymphoma)

On October 4, 2010 I was given my most difficult challenge yet. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Stage 1). I should also mention that this also happened to be the fall of my senior year of college! My schooling has always been a number one priority, so being dealt an additional challenge was something I was willing to fight in order to be healthy and finish college on time. Chemo ended up being a lot harder on me than I thought it would be. I ended up having to stay home the week after chemo since I went to school two hours away. Thankfully my wonderful professors at Tiffin University were very helpful and gave me some leeway on assignment dates but I still had to complete the work. I felt very guilty when I felt like all I could do was sleep instead of doing homework, but I realized that it was the best thing for me. I had to push myself to get a lot more done on the days that I was feeling good to make up for the down days. My parents sacrificed a lot for me during this time, … [Read more...]

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Cancer Kid Gifts

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Aug
01
2011
Doing origami!

Do you know a child with cancer?  Are you wondering what kind of gift to give them?  As one who was on the receiving end for quite some time, I’m hoping to give a little insight on giving get-well gifts.  There are do's and don’ts- some are quite obvious, while others perhaps only someone who’s gone through it can realize.  But all hope to ease that “what do I get them” feeling and create a better giving/receiving experience for both the patient and the people who care about them. DO: Soft Coming home from the hospital after a tough round of chemo, I’d slip on my fuzzy socks, grab my softest stuffed animal, and snuggle beneath my coziest blanket in my most comfortable pj’s.  Comfort….it’s all about comfort.  That’s why anything plush or fluffy goes over big with anyone who’s ill, especially a child.  Whether it’s a big stuffed bear to hug during chemo or a pillow to jam your face in on hard day, the level of comfort that something soft can provide … [Read more...]

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Jasimine’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma)

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Jun
20
2011
Jasimine's Story (Hodgkin's Lymphoma) LR

Hi my name is Jasimine and I am 16. I am a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor. I found out I had cancer in Feb of 08. I went through 9 rounds of chemo in 9 months on 3 different regiments. After the chemo they told me and my mom that the chemo had not worked, so they said I needed a stem cell transplant. So I went to Oklahoma City and I was there for almost a month before they did the stem cell harvest. After a week they admitted me to the hospital and I did 3 full days of chemo. Then they did the transplant. I was in the hospital a total of 3 weeks and 1 day. I was supposed to be there for 4 to 6 months. so we went back to the doctor and they told me I needed to do radiation. I did radiation for 3 weeks every day after school. So now I am doing better. And living almost normal. Jasimine Oklahoma Submitted 4-5-11 The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lymphoma Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

One Who Should Not…

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Jun
13
2011
Melinda Childhood Cancer LR

A soft beanie slips over the small head of one who should not be hairless A needle plunges into the hip bone of one who should not know that kind of pain A single word scares one who should not yet know true fear Thoughts beyond this world float in the mind of one who should not have to wonder what it feels like to die Memories of a past life escape the conscience This is normal, right? Everyone gets chemo… Everyone must fight for each day… Everyone must endure the acrid taste of Prednisone as it skims the back of their throat… Everyone must search each cell in their body for the energy to turn over in bed… It’s impossible to imagine that the world goes on lives go on… while yours crumbles beneath your shaking feet Why have you been chosen? Only God knows… How hard must you fight? There is no certainty in the mouths of doctors… What will happen? Only time has the ability to speak those … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Childhood Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Invisible Scars

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May
10
2011

I have many visible scars from various diagnostic procedures over the last 18 months. I have a scar on my ribcage from my chest drain, a scar just under my arm pit, and a scar just underneath my right breast, from my Hodgkin’s biopsy. I also have scars on my arms from cannulas, and from a bite from my son, that wouldn’t have usually scarred, but because I was going through chemo, pigmentation was altered. Then I have a scar on my throat, from the thyroid surgeries. Those are permanent reminders of what I have been through. They won’t go away. People can see them (OK, maybe not the rib and breast one so much) and will wonder what they are. The ones that are bold enough might ask. The ones that aren’t might talk about me to others later, asking them if they know what it is. Those scars don’t bother me. It’s funny, because maybe they should. But I don’t find myself hiding my thyroid scar, by making sure I wear a polo neck, or a scarf or a necklace, because I don’t … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lymphoma (Hodgkin's), Thyroid Cancer Tagged With: , , , , ,