Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL)

Julia is an eleven-year-old volleyball player, and when she started to experience digestive issues that we couldn't equate to anything, we were afraid that her physical symptoms would keep her off the court for a prolonged period of time.

My son, Coy, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) on May 5, 2023. He was a junior at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) and had just won national runner-up in the NCAA Division III national wrestling tournament in March. He was a 4.0 student and had just been selected as Regimental Commander for the fall of his senior year. He returned home to secure and begin treatment.

In November 2015, I began experiencing persistent hives, severe fatigue, and chest pain that I couldn’t explain. At the time, I was managing a demanding schedule, and I initially attributed my symptoms to stress. But as the symptoms worsened, I knew something was wrong. I visited multiple doctors and even saw a dermatologist who performed a biopsy and ruled my condition as eczema.

After a year of misdiagnoses, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) on Valentine's Day 2007 when I was 22 years old. I had to take medical leave from my senior year of college to move home with my parents to undergo treatment in Albany, New York. After seven months of chemo, I was in remission and have been since!

I’m a 26-year-old woman who never expected my life to change so dramatically. I was living what felt like an ordinary life — working at a school, spending time with friends, and keeping up with my daily routines. But things took an unexpected turn when I started experiencing night sweats.

My story starts in early December 2024. I had been getting sick a lot that year, and it finally struck me as odd when it just wouldn’t go away. I had this intense pressure in my chest as if something was sitting on top of it. Something felt wrong. I finally realized I had to go in and get checked out; I could no longer ignore my body.