On May 7, 2026, I celebrated a milestone I once couldn’t even imagine: five years cancer-free. Even writing those words still feels surreal. Sometimes I sit back and think—did I really go through six rounds of R-EPOCH chemotherapy? Did I really have a newborn baby boy during that time? Did I really have a 12 cm mediastinal mass? Did I really have primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL)?
I was 31 years old and living what felt like the dream. I had just welcomed a happy, healthy baby boy into the world and was soaking in every newborn snuggle. Then, in an instant, everything changed. What started as shortness of breath and a cough quickly became the discovery of a 12 cm mediastinal mass. Suddenly, I found myself being wheeled into a PET scan and undergoing a biopsy—alone in a hospital during the isolation of the COVID-19 quarantine.
Fast forward to May 7, 2026: five years cancer-free. A day I once only dreamed about became my reality. I fought through the hardest season of my life and found my way back to living—not just surviving, but truly living again.
Since then, life has given me even more to be grateful for. I was blessed to welcome another happy, healthy baby boy into this world. One day, I’ll share this story with him—a story of fear, resilience, strength, and hope. A story that reminds me every single day never to take this beautiful life for granted.
Katelyn
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL)
