In April 2020, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). My life was turned upside down after this diagnosis, and I was in extreme denial even months into my treatment. I was forced to go through six months of chemotherapy and two surgeries to treat it. Being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 20 in the midst of a pandemic taught me many things. One of the biggest things I learned is to never take anything for granted. One day I was a normal 20-year-old hanging out with my friends, and the next I was shaving off all my hair because of treatment. I also learned how important it is to stay positive and value mental health.
Being high risk and isolated from friends and family during a time I needed them the most took a huge toll on my mental health, and at times, it was extremely difficult to remain positive. Being diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic was extremely difficult as no one could come with me to my treatments. But I knew that step one of recovery was having a positive mindset. I would try my best to think about small things that I was grateful for every day when I woke up, such as being alive and having a wonderful support system of friends and family by my side.
The biggest thing I realized during my journey was that there are many individuals also dealing with cancer. A lot of these individuals are also college students like me who may have to juggle classes with treatment. When people think about cancer, college students are usually not what comes to mind first. This led me to start my very own club at Rutgers called “Answer for Cancer” (@answerforcancer_ru).
I wanted to spread more awareness of college students being affected with cancer and share ways to cope as well as balance school. Through this club, I team up with various cancer centers to begin fundraising for cancer research and for families who cannot afford treatments. We will also spend time sending arts and crafts to little kids/elders going through treatment as well. The club also has a virtual support group aspect where anyone who has dealt with cancer, either directly or indirectly, is more than welcome to attend. This support group is something I wish I had had myself, and I am extremely excited to include this feature in order to help anyone in need and let them know they aren’t alone. I am so grateful to be given the chance to help others and to officially be cancer-free!
Hardee
Lymphoma Survivor
