I’m sure I was just looked at as a routine back pain case so my doctor prescribed me Lodine, an anti-inflammatory drug, hoping that would solve the problem. Sounding like he was nervous, he went on to state the MRI showed I had a tumor in the bone marrow of the lumbar spine. Brain Tumor Survivor … Copyright 2000-2019 © Cancer Survivors Network. hello,My names Varrie and I'm 26 year old cancer survivor. I’m a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed in 2011 with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. My book is available at amazon here: http://bit.ly/amazonbackbone, The book's Facebook page is here: http://bit.ly/erichogan, The website from the publisher is here: http://hogan.tateauthor.com, Thank you for sharing this uplifting story ! We are proud to share Eric’s inspiring story in his own words. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition. I’ll be honest—sometimes it’s often hard to look at things positively, especially when everything seems to be against you. My treatment consisted of 12 rounds of eight-hour chemotherapy treatments known as ABVD. Hello to all my fellow survivors and to those currently battling cancers of all kinds! His next sentence is what scared me. She was diagnosed at a very young age and her treatment was started in Texas Oncology in Weslaco at the age of 18. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. I was diagnosed last year in November with stage 4 non Hodgkins lymphoma and this is my story. I treasure each day as if it were my last, and I am a better person for it. Alison shares her daughter’s story of fighting Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and offers advice to parents supporting their own child through cancer. I had heard of lymphoma before but didn’t know much about it. Stacy is still in the fight against cancer over 9 years since her initial diagnosis, but let me tell you - she has quite a story to tell! “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” That is the quote that kept Our December 2013 Lymphoma Survivor of the Month, Eric Hogan, motivated to fight and win two battles with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It is a very physically demanding job, and due to my age and the cancer, I’m not able to go back to working 40 hours a week. We are very happy to let you know that she has won her battle and dragged cancer out of her life. I had 4 … Explore below for stories from real patients about their journey battling Hodgkin lymphoma – from symptoms, to diagnosis (or misdiagnosis), to treatment, and how they handled the mental and emotional stress. hello, My names Varrie and I'm 26 year old cancer survivor. Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the lymph system. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. As I mentioned above, the book was started as simply a journal of my thoughts at the time, but I always had the plan of releasing it to the public. Today, he is a 10 year survivor and employed as a nuclear medicine technologist. My oncologist has told me that I could live up to fifteen more years, but they do not know when the cancer will reappear. She used our functional profiling analysis to analyze her cancer cells to find the right drug treatment … Throughout my treatment and the side effects that came with it, there were many stories of love and support. As the stage progresses, more aggressive treatment is required with low cure rate. I believed with every ounce of my being that—if I let the cancer defeat me and succumbed to the sadness, deciding to accept the thought of death—I would not be here today to write this very paragraph. Eric made the conscious decision not to let cancer stop him from living his life. Hello to all my fellow survivors and to those currently battling cancers of all kinds! One of the several dozen known and recognized B-cell subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma represents about five percent of all non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnoses made each year. Since the pain was not getting better, I set up another appointment with my doctor, hoping that I could get more answers about my back. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. My support system included family and friends, but for myself I just tried to act as “normal” as possible. I realize I am one of the lucky ones; I often think of the many people who have not made it, and that thought keeps me going. Here is information on lymphoma types and treatment options; also an inspiring patient success story on Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma and other lymphoma survivor stories . This brutal regimen continued every three weeks for a year. Stage 4 Non Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor story of a female lymphoma patient. I was told that some of the medications I needed to take were not covered by provincial healthcare and would cost around $3,000 a month. It contains everything I went through at the time and if it is able to help just one person, then I will be more than happy. I went through a year of CHOP chemotherapy, which is a combination of three different chemotherapy drugs and a steroid. After radiation therapy, the tumors appeared to be gone. It was only four days between diagnosis, hospitalization and my first chemo treatment. Most importantly, this was the attitude that got me through cancer treatments, trials, and hardships. I have a very special testimony to share with you today. I apologise in advance for the bad editing and the ramble of words but its a hard story to tell for many reasons. There were no injuries or falls that I could remember, and I hadn’t done any lifting, so I was at a loss. In my case, the health system worked terrifically and saved my life. I am still in remission and visits to my oncologist are down to once a year. Having cancer was financially crippling. Eric Hogan, December 2013 Lymphoma Survivor of the Month In September 2003, I was diagnosed with Stage 4, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I Beat It! Prayers don’t hurt either! Of course I lost all of my hair, and I became sick and remained so throughout the year. The main symptom I experienced, which lead to my diagnosis was extreme back pain. That “more” might just be survival. The overall survival rate of stage 4 lymphoma is 55-60%. What I mean by that, is that I continued to do the things that made me happy and temporarily forget about my diagnosis such as going to concerts, hanging out with friends, etc.