Adults

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.

It started with a stiff neck. Then came fatigue and a sore throat. I started feeling full after only a few bites of food. Workouts were getting more difficult to complete. My heart rate was consistently north of 100 just lying in bed. Rationalized. It's maybe strep. Could be mono. I prescribed myself antibiotics and popped ibuprofen. Nothing was working.

My cancer journey started in January 2021. I was so excited that I got through 2020 thinking I hadn't gotten sick at all. In my mind, the pandemic was over, and I was feeling great and ready to go back to work since I had sat home during the pandemic doing my best to stay healthy.

In 2022, I was diagnosed with skin cancer, mycosis fungoides with large cell transformation, a form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). They treated it with a chemo gel. In 2022, I had an 18-wheeler accident. Someone hit me, causing my big rig to flip over. It slid three lanes across the highway, and I had a couple of minor injuries.