Young Adult

On July 15, 2019, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Before this, I was a healthy teenage girl going into my sophomore year of high school and playing volleyball. I started chemo and did four aggressive rounds. I finished chemo on October 3, 2019. Soon after, I was back at school. I started playing volleyball again in my junior year.

I will never underestimate my parents' sacrifices to provide my siblings and me with the millions of opportunities we have due to their hard work. My parents were born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Both were born to families who instilled the traditional family value of grit in every walk of life.

From December 2021-January 2022, I had just come off orientation for my new job as a registered nurse. I was working the night shift and just thought I was experiencing the "usual" night shift symptoms. I was ALWAYS tired, had terrible back pain, and had such a shift in my appetite. I went for a physical just to be sure.

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in 2016. I had a hip replacement, and a mass was found on my hip, so I was referred to a cancer doctor. But the strangest thing was, I had no symptoms, so I went to the doctor, and I went through all kinds of tests. The doctor told me, “You have MM,” and I am like what's that? She said it was a blood cancer.

Three little words changed my life forever!