I’ve always been the type of person who pushes through anything! I’ve always been a fighter who never lets anything slow me down. If something didn’t feel right, I’d tell myself it would pass. So, when I began experiencing shortness of breath and abdominal pain, cancer never once crossed my mind. One day, my body simply wouldn’t let me push through anymore.
I became so nauseated, racked with debilitating abdominal pain, I knew something was seriously wrong and went to a freestanding emergency room. Within hours, my entire life changed. The doctors told me I was severely anemic. My blood counts were dangerously low. A CT scan revealed enlarged lymph nodes throughout my body and a spleen that had enlarged three times its normal size.
For eight hours I waited for an ambulance to transfer me to another hospital. I don’t remember processing much of anything. Looking back, I felt numb—as if I were simply going through the motions while my world changed around me.
My first night in the hospital is something I’ll never forget. All I wanted to do was sleep. My body was asleep. I spent the next two days receiving blood transfusions just to build ANC, platelets, and hemoglobin above 6.2. A bone marrow biopsy later confirmed the words no one ever expects to hear: stage IV mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
The oncologist wanted to begin chemotherapy immediately. Although friends visited me throughout my hospitalization, much of this journey was one I had to face alone. I didn’t have a husband or children by my side. I spent the final two days of my hospital stay receiving my first round of R-CHOP.
I still remember the internal medicine physician giving me a hug before I was discharged, as if in her way providing an understanding sympathy I may never fully comprehend. I’ll never know exactly what she was thinking, but that simple act of kindness has stayed with me ever since.
Over the next five months, I underwent continued chemotherapy. The side effects were manageable and never serious, which I can attribute to continued prayer and God’s hand over me, as I was still able to work, attend church, shop for myself, and continue normal daily activities. Through every treatment, I leaned on my faith. There were moments when I didn’t know what the future held, but I chose to trust God one day at a time.
I then underwent the final stage of BEAM chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Collecting my stem cells took four long days, and I spent nearly a month in the hospital, often by myself, relying on compassionate nurses who cared for me in ways both big and small—even helping wash my clothes. Through it all, I remained positive, rarely complained, and believed God had a purpose for my life, and every treatment was another opportunity He was giving me to keep living it.
After my transplant, I had 11 months in remission before my lymphoma returned. Hearing that my cancer had relapsed was heartbreaking, but it wasn’t the end of my story.
Today, I take Brukinsa® daily to keep my disease under control. Every PET scan and MRD test since then has shown my lymphoma in remission. Every time I see my oncologist, he smiles and says, “You look good to me.”
Those simple words mean more than he probably realizes. I can honestly say cancer changed my life, but it also strengthened my faith. It taught me to trust God in bigger ways than before. He walked beside me through every diagnosis, every chemotherapy treatment, every blood transfusion, every hospital stay, and every setback. Even on the hardest days, I never felt abandoned.
Today, I’m a published author, a floral and graphic designer, and I find joy in encouraging others facing blood cancer, including two of my close friends currently battling breast cancer. One of the greatest gifts I’ve been given is the ability to tell them, “I understand. I’ve been there. You’re not alone.”
If sharing my story helps even one diagnosed patient feel less afraid or gives someone hope during their own battle, then every difficult day has had purpose.
MCL became part of my story, but it is not the ending. My story is one of resilience, compassion, unwavering faith, and the grace of God, who carried me through every step of the journey and continues to walk with me today.
Anna
mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)
