I was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in preparation for heart surgery. While my disease was stage 3, it was also slow-growing, and I went ahead and had open-heart surgery in January 2022 to repair a valve. Six months later, my disease had advanced, and I began four rounds of Rituxan®, which did not work sufficiently.
However, in that interim, I signed up for the Boston Marathon ― which goes by my house ― to run for Dana Farber where I was being treated. My oncologist advised that I begin chemo and immunotherapy for six months, which I did while training and running the marathon. I had my fifth cycle of chemo the day after the marathon. I decided early after my diagnosis that I was going to LIVE with my disease, not be defined by it.
It was a crazy thing to do, running a marathon while going through chemo, after heart surgery. Still, I share it as an example of what the body is capable of in recovering from serious health challenges.
But there is a second chapter to this story. My lymphoma unfortunately came back after 15 months of remission, and I’m now in a clinical trial at Dana Farber that is working well, and I'm back in remission. And I've once again decided to run the marathon this year while going through the trial. My daughters each said, “Well, Dad, when you’re in treatment, you do the marathon.” So, six weeks to go in what has been a tough winter to train through, but I'm so, so, so fortunate that cancer care has advanced to where I can train for a marathon (and work) while getting treated. Isn’t it just amazing?
Tim
non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
