I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in January 2018. I was lucky enough to get into City of Hope which is about 25 minutes from my house. I received all my treatment there. The first treatment was R-CHOP chemotherapy which required me to be in the hospital three to five days every three weeks for six months. I relapsed after six months and did an autologous bone marrow transplant in March of 2019. After about eight months, I relapsed again and prepared for an unrelated donor transplant. I received more chemotherapy along with a clinical trial drug through outpatient infusions to get me back into remission, which I did successfully. The donor transplant took place on February 18, 2020. I was discharged on the tail of COVID just a month later, so luckily, I was able to receive visitors.
The threat of getting COVID has been hanging over me for the last few years, as it has for so many people. Being under quarantine is so very challenging. I am still immunocompromised due to the drugs I take because of graft versus host disease (GVHD). I have developed mucositis, scleroderma, and inflamed airways, but so far, I've stayed in remission for two years!
I created greeting cards with the mission that a percentage of the sales would go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), but the GVHD has slowed me down on marketing them. I very much want to support an organization that has funded clinical trial drugs that have benefited me and so many other patients. Even if I cannot participate in person at this moment, I do reach out and listen to other people with blood cancer diagnoses. I offer hope, empathy, support, and inspiration. Thank you, LLS, for your dedication to fighting blood cancers.
Dana
non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
