It's a been a long year to say the least. For quite some time (going back to 2016) I had a lump on my chin that kept growing. I went to my dentist, they sent me to an oral surgeon who removed it and said it was non-cancerous. Well, it came back shortly after that surgery.
So I lived with it for a long while thinking it was non-cancerous and I was stuck with a lump on my face. I covered it with makeup and used my hair (a wig, I had already lost my hair to systemic lupus) to hide it. Finally, it got so big that I went to a cranial-facial surgeon to try and get it removed and he said, "whoa...that's outside my speciality." Scary words to hear, indeed.
I ended up with a fantastic oncologist, Dr. Todd Alekshun with the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center. He diagnosed me with B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (in addition to the lupus I already had). Treatment called for infusion therapy using a medication called Rituxan.
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Needless to say — with Covid-19 raging and my cancer and lupus diagnosis — 2020 was a terrifying year. Add to that the severe pain I was in. I could hardly walk, I needed a cane to get around. I was excruciatingly tired. But the blessing was because of the pandemic, I was working from home before the diagnosis. So it worked out beautifully that I could sleep all the time, then hobble down the hall to my make-shift studio to broadcast from home.
But as of yesterday, I am in remission! And I couldn't be more overjoyed.
I have to say, I had a lot of support along the way — both from people I know in person and people I only know online.
Here is the moment I shared a touching voice mail from friend and mentor to our morning show, Steve Reynolds. Thank you to every single one of you for your love and support.
If you are still fighting the battle, remember to take it one day at a time, surround yourself with supportive — NOT TOXIC — people. Take advantage of online resources such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You have more power than you know, trust your gut, change doctors if you're not getting the care you need and believe in yourself. Want to comment on this story? Share your thoughts with me in the Facebook post below. #StayStrong