Karlee

It was late fall when my journey began. I was a dedicated student and incredibly involved with my softball team. Having played since I was roughly 10 years old, I have always been used to the aggressive cardio that came with it. Speeding back up to my senior year, it was not as easy for me and I began to worry. After long nights of practice, it was getting harder and harder for me to endure playing and was getting difficult to breathe, I was more tired than normal craving sugar more than I ever had, and I lost almost 30 pounds in about a month. I went to get checked out and discovered that I had a lymph node as hard as a golf ball on my collarbone. The doctors suggested that I get surgery immediately to get it removed so that was my next step. Soon after I had the operation, and it was removed I was feeling better and back to my normal self. It only lasted for a short moment. I had gone back for a follow-up appointment, and it turned into a day that would haunt me forever. It all went so fast and I did not have enough time to process what I just heard. “Cancer” ran through my mind and I sat in the room confused and numb. I was in complete denial that I had just been diagnosed with stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Being a senior, I had other things in the world that really worried me like late homework, missing a game, getting bad grades, BUT this washed over all my fears and took over. This was the one thing I knew I had to beat. Beginning of December, I had appointments scheduled to begin my chemotherapy. The first treatment was by far the worst because my body did not take very well, and I broke out in hives from head to toe. It was a long 10 hours, and I could not help but think this was my new normal. I had a total of 8 treatments in a span of 4 months. Towards the end of my chemotherapy, I was a little more at ease because we saw a drastic change (it was a GOOD change) in my health and I was in a stage they call “Remission” which meant that all my signs and symptoms of the cancer had disappeared. This milestone was one that I will carry in my heart until it stops beating. I am beyond happy with my life now and I am super grateful for my health now. We are still having to monitor my white blood cell count and liver functions to assure that the symptoms do not come back. Blessed, relieved, and excited, I am taking it day by day and appreciating every second of it.