By the time I was 32 years old, I was a 3-time cancer survivor. At 22 years old, I was diagnosed with MALT lymphoma, at a time (1999) when the doctors knew very little about it and believed it had only been found in men over the age of 80 in their stomach (mine was found in my neck).
After surgery and radiation treatment, I was told if the cancer ever came back, I could die within 2 months. As scary as this news was, I chose not to live a life of. anxiety and fear. 4.5 years later, I relapsed and again went through surgery and radiation therapy. At this point I was told this cancer was not known to be as aggressive as once believed. Grateful for the news, I continued to live without fear and laugh as often as possible. 6.5 years later, with a newly adopted baby in my arms, my cancer came back.
This time, we skipped surgery and went straight to an immunotherapy medicine dubbed "Vitamin R" by my nurses because there is typically little to no side effects. However, during the first infusion, I began to have a reaction to the medicine. The next day, I ended up in the ER with significantly high blood pressure, chest pain, and trouble breathing. I'd had an anaphylactic reaction that caused inflammation in my heart (pericarditis) and lungs which lasted for 3 years and activated 2 different blood disorders in my body. For 3 years, I could hardly walk a couple hundred yard without being winded and in pain.
Slowly I recovered and now, 6 years later, I play Pickleball as a 5.0 player, have been coaching for over 3 years, and am beginning to dabble in Pro events. One year ago, I played in my first Pro event and after beating a very strong team, I sat in awe and gratefulness of the journey I've had and the recovery my body has gone through to even experience that moment. Since then, I have been hired as the Head Pickleball Pro at a Golf and Country Club in Florida and truly enjoy every day teaching and creating the Pickleball Program.
Cancer has taught me so much... to live day by day, to choose not to live in fear, to cherish moments, to smile and laugh as often as possible, and to use what I've been through to come alongside someone else going through a similar experience. There's a special rapport built between cancer patients and survivors that reminds us that not only are we in this together, but we are not alone.
Erica
Lymphoma Survivor
