TNQ, in 2003 I discovered a lump on my neck, coincidentally I was consulting for one of the top cancer researchers in the world and was in the right place at the right time. Diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, I was treated with first-line chemotherapy and radiation through October 2003 and I went into remission shortly after that.
Cancer wasn’t done with me, round two, I relapsed in 2006, entered a Phase 1 clinical trial, became the 8th person in the world to receive a Hodgkins cancer vaccine along with high-dose chemo and antibody therapy. A severe infection put me in ICU for 7 days and was given the Last Rights and was close to death, I recovered and entered remission a second time.
Fast forward to 2008 and cancer knocked on the door a third time. Another recurrence and soon I was in another clinical trial for a bone marrow transplant. My mother was my donor at 79 years old, and I have been cancer-free ever since. Any one of these diagnoses could have been fatal, and to recover and survive after three is something I have trouble explaining to myself. When you fight is not about you, but for others, it is amazing what you can achieve. I hope my experience can help someone doubting their own resolve.