Lymphoma

My husband is my rock. He’s been by my side through chemo, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant, years of not feeling well, not eating, losing my hair twice, and at all other times.

My name is Rachel Iruegas, and on June 4, 2019, I heard the dreaded words that no one ever wants to hear: “you have cancer.” I was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). In that moment, my mind went blank and my body numb. I honestly do not remember much of what my oncologist said after that.

From an early age, Jason Wexler showed an interest in curing cancer and would even make "potions," according to his mother, Sherri. An extrovert like his father, Kevin, Jason has always liked making a difference for others and has great ideas to share.

I’m a musician from Missouri named Jashon Hockaday (Jae Alxndr). I’ve been making music in the fore and background for a while now. My life changed when i was diagnosed with primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the mandible.

My story begins back in 2012. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting in Orlando traffic with the window down. It was a beautiful afternoon. I was driving home from work. I scratched the side of my neck and felt 3 tiny pebbles underneath the skin. I though it was odd, but didn’t think much of it. I brushed it off and forgot about it.

In 1996, at the age of 16, I found a lump in my neck that quickly grew to an alarming size. After ruling out illnesses such as cat scratch fever and tuberculosis, the lump was biopsied at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN and I was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin's disease (now called Hodgkin lymphoma). I went through 6 months of chemotherapy, followed by 2 months of radiation.