Three years ago, I started getting really sick. I had just graduated from college and was in the process of applying for graduate school. After eight months of going in and out of the hospital and seven lumbar punctures, I was diagnosed with stage 4 splenic marginal zone non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MZL). The cancer had spread to my central nervous system, and I experienced intense brain fog, confusion, and was in tremendous pain. I immediately went into four rounds of rituximab and have since been on low-dose methotrexate and immunotherapy. Unfortunately, there is no cure yet for my diagnosis, so I still live with many side effects and symptoms.
Before moving from San Diego recently, I was working very closely with the San Diego/Hawaii Blood Cancer United Chapter, volunteering as a community outreach volunteer and peer mentor. I even got to participate in Visionaries of the Year 2024 and raised over $90,000 through my campaign, donated to indolent lymphoma. I was an Honored hero for Visionaries of the Year 2025, and go to Light The Night (LTN) every year, and have had the amazing opportunity to be on two Blood Cancer United sponsored podcasts, Cafecito and the SHARE program, sharing my story of resilience and gratitude (in English and Spanish, as I am from Mexico and a huge proponent of developing resources in Spanish). Blood Cancer United has been my biggest supporter throughout this journey. I've benefitted from so many of their programs and met some of my closest friends through volunteering. The money that Blood Cancer United has raised and the research that they have invested in resulted in the treatment (Imbruvica) that is saving both my life and quality of life. I am now a PhD student at the University of Florida studying neuropsychology and cognitive impairment. Through everything I have learned with Blood Cancer United and my cancer journey, I decided to launch a non-profit called @fourthspaYce, dedicated to advocating for young adults with cancer and summarizing existing resources to make the process of finding help easier for adolescents and young adults (AYAs). When I was going through the worst parts of my journey, I had no energy to look for resources that would help. I would love to share my story and my project with other AYAs so we can connect and help each other find what we need. Living with cancer is not easy, but it would be significantly harder if we did not have organizations like Blood Cancer United standing behind us and providing incredible support.
Natalia
splenic marginal zone non-Hodgkin lymphoma (MZL)
