Following the surge in COVID-19 cases all over the world, many countries/states/provinces have declared a state of emergency and some have even gone on complete lock down. In order to help contain the pandemic and "flatten the curve", the public has been asked to stay home as much as possible and only go out if … Continue reading SURVIVING QUARANTINE – ADVICE FROM AN “EXPERT”
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What NOT to say to someone with cancer
Do you have a friend or loved one who has cancer and sometimes worry about saying the wrong thing? I personally know a lot of people who felt intimidated by trying to say the right thing when they found out I had cancer. Most people are well-intentioned and will say things that they think are … Continue reading What NOT to say to someone with cancer
The Stem Cell Transplant
COLLECTING MY STEM CELLS To fully comprehend the treatment plan, I will first need to give you a quick hematology overview. Stem cells are the immature baby cells created in the bone marrow of every person. Basically, these cells “grow up” to become the white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets in the blood. … Continue reading The Stem Cell Transplant
ICE vs ABVD: What To Expect
Before I begin this post I want to apologise for not blogging up until now. I have only recently been discharged from the hospital following my stem cell transplant and I needed to take the time out to recover. I started ICE, my second round of chemotherapy at the end of December 2016. As opposed to ABVD … Continue reading ICE vs ABVD: What To Expect
Preparing for Chemotherapy
When my oncologist received my biopsy results showing that I'd relapsed, I was still trying to wrap my mind around it but he did not waste a single second. He drew up a timeline of the new regimen right away; explaining to me in detail how he planned on treating and ultimately curing my disease for the … Continue reading Preparing for Chemotherapy
How I took the news of my relapse
Ask any cancer survivor, our greatest fear is relapsing. Heard of scanxiety (scan anxiety)? It’s a real thing. Defining scanxiety: The tension which builds particularly amongst those who have or have had cancer as they move towards their regular check up scan, hyperscanxiety being the period as they await results. I think most of us can agree … Continue reading How I took the news of my relapse
Introducing Me
Hi and Welcome to my Blog! I am new at this so please bear with me. Alright so a bit of background on myself: I am 24 years old. Last year on January 15th 2016, I was diagnosed with Stage 2A Classical Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I had 12 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy over 6 months … Continue reading Introducing Me