The preciousness of life after lymphoma - Take time to smell the flowers

Grandparents and children sharing tips and stories

From Stephanie in Canada

For whatever reason, tonight, August 20th 2007, I decided to look up long term side effects of chemotherapy and came across this website. You see on October 8th, 2007, I will celebrate 15 years from my final treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma stage 2B or 3A or something.

I was diagnosed January 1992, after a lymphadenectomy from my right underarm. At 17, I thought to myself, after a really good cry, I had too much to experience out of life and I certainly was not dying at such a young age. I wanted to die of old age is all.

So I began chemo February 6th for the course of 10 months... godda love that Zofran (hahaha). I went to my high school grad wearing a wig (at least I didn’t have to pay ridiculous amounts for a hairstyle hahaha). On October 8th 1992, I was done!!! Well, at least done with the medical side of the healing... now it was on to the rest of my being to heal. Which took a good few years. Cause how do you go on with life as usual when you realise how fragile and precious life really is.

Now, fifteen years later, at the age of 32, I TAKE TIME TO SMELL THE FLOWERS. I work as a massage therapist and LOVE it! I believe we can be doing what we love to do in life as the opportunities are endless. I also could not have done all this without the LOVE and SUPPORT or my sister, parents and friends come and gone!

LOTTA LOVE TO YA!