Dear friends and family,
I am writing to let you
know of an important cause that just became especially important to me.
In September, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, which happened to
be Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness month. (That must be a sign, right?) I
noticed a swollen lymph node in my neck earlier this year, but
preliminary tests came back normal. At the end of the summer, I went
back to the doctor and was sent for more chest x-rays and a lymph node
biopsy and one week after the biopsy, my family, boyfriend, and I got
the results. The news was shocking to us all and we are taking it one
day at a time! I wanted to share this news with you so that you can be a
part of my incredible support team.
Treatment is expected to start at the end of October/early November at Somerset Medical Center, where my mom has worked for nine years. She knows and trusts the doctors, so I know that I am in good hands. The surgeon who performed the lymph node biopsy and will be placing the port for IV treatments is a friend and I trust him very much- I used to babysit and teach his daughter piano lessons. Treatments will consist of chemotherapy every other week (as of right now, no radiation).
My brave cousin, Natalee, was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma when she was a sophomore in college in December, 2009. As of early this summer, she had her most recent and final clean scan- she made it! She finished her college degree and is currently working on her Master's in Occupational Therapy. Her courage and strength has been the inspiration for my journey. I am so proud of her.
Treatment is expected to start at the end of October/early November at Somerset Medical Center, where my mom has worked for nine years. She knows and trusts the doctors, so I know that I am in good hands. The surgeon who performed the lymph node biopsy and will be placing the port for IV treatments is a friend and I trust him very much- I used to babysit and teach his daughter piano lessons. Treatments will consist of chemotherapy every other week (as of right now, no radiation).
My brave cousin, Natalee, was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma when she was a sophomore in college in December, 2009. As of early this summer, she had her most recent and final clean scan- she made it! She finished her college degree and is currently working on her Master's in Occupational Therapy. Her courage and strength has been the inspiration for my journey. I am so proud of her.
I am in my last year of a Master's program in Speech-Language Pathology at Kean University and am motivated to graduate as expected in May 2014, although I may need to take time off. This will be difficult, but just fine. My professors have been extremely understanding to my situation and are willing to help me in any way possible. I am currently in an internship at a public school working with a kind, supportive supervisor. I am loving every minute of being with the children and know that this is the right career path for me. While I may not be able to continue this internship full time once I start treatments, I have been so blessed to have this opportunity. My supervisor and co-workers at my graduate assistantship in the School of Nursing Offsite Program at Raritan Valley Community College, have been so accommodating during this hectic time and have stocked the office with my favorite comfort foods- chicken and rice soup and hot chocolate! (And while I have your attention, here is a video of the choir I began for my graduate thesis project for stroke survivors with aphasia: http://youtu.be/Jsa2QO-ft6Y. Enjoy!)
I'm walking in the Light the Night walk with my family and friends under "Team Gillybean" :) and I would love for you to join us if you're local, donate, and/or share the link. It's Saturday, October 26th in Morristown, NJ at 5pm (bring the kids!). Here is the link to my team's fundraising page: http://pages.lightthenight.
I am surrounded by so much love from family and friends. My
parents have always been so generous, but are exceptionally supportive
during this time. They have opened their home to me and my boyfriend,
Tim, take time off work to accompany me to appointments, and Mom cooks
and freezes meals for us. Tim is becoming quite the accomplished chef
himself! I couldn't have asked for a better partner to support me during
this time. My most favorite sister in the world, Julia, is my rock. My
friends are offering their love and support in so many ways. They are
strong for me, but I know they need your support, too.
So, I know that I will be okay. This is just a bump in the road and I am ready to start my journey and make a giant leap over that bump. For those of you who remember my blogging days from my study abroad in Italy, I think now is the right time to start a new blog to document my latest adventure. This email will be the first post (I tried to be creative with the name): http://gillymphoma.blogspot.
Before receiving this diagnosis, I did not know how to talk to anyone who had cancer and couldn't relate to what they were going through, but I am very open and positive about the situation and it would be so nice to hear from you. Thank you all for your support during my journey!
Love,
Gillian"It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty." -Dalai Lama
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