I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma around Christmas 2 years ago.  I had to take 6 long, awful months of chemotherapy. 

My husband left me and my son halfway through chemo, when I found out he had been cheating on me the whole 2 years we were married.  I'm a 22 year old single mom now, and I'm in remission.  I'm going back to school, and my hair is getting longer.  The most tragic part of cancer was losing my hair.  At first I told the doctor that I would rather die than lose my hair, and was very serious, and was going to try some home remedies on it.  But my family convinced me that I needed to go through with it.  Now that my hair is back, I'm glad I did it.  I'm so glad it's over, and life is back to normal!  I pray to God it doesn't come back.  If it does, I will have to have a bone marrow transplant.  That sounds really painful, and way more horrible than chemo.  I am majoring in Biology at the University of Central Oklahoma now.  I am making all A's so far.  If I graduate with a high GPA, I will go to medical school.  I really want to become a pediatric oncologist.  That's where my heart is really at now.  Before cancer, my major was fashion design.  Now I all I want to do help kids who have cancer.  If there's anyone who has just been diagnosed, and is scared, and needs someone to talk to, you can call me.  I remember how awful it was, feeling like my life was over, and I was going to die.  I really want help.  I know what you are going through, please call or email me if you feel like you need someone to talk to who has been through it.  In a way I am glad it happened to me, since I came out alive.  It has made me soooo much stronger.  Instead of crying about not having new designer clothes and bags all the time, I was crying because I thought I was going to die.  It really broadened my perspective, and hit me really hard on the head with reality.  I needed that I think.  I'm a completely different, stronger and more mature girl now.  Everything happens for a reason.  And everyone has thier own different struggles to deal with in life.  God doesn't give you something you can't take.  I think if you have cancer, it means you are really strong inside, and you can take it.  It is hard, but you really can do it, and you will come out stronger =)  If you can beat cancer, what else really is there to be scared of after that?  I'm not scared of very many things anymore.   yoshimioshiro@aol.com

Hello,

I am a 39 year old divorced mother of two teenage sons, ages 13 and 17 who are the light of my life. My cancer story began when I was just 4years old. I was diagnosed with Wilmns Tumor. I had my left kidney,L.adrenal gland,spleen and appendix removed because the cancer had spread. I received chemotherapy and then radiation to the chest after a reoccurence in my lungs. I remember attending the first day of kindergarten and getting teased because I had no hair, I refused to wear a wig because it itched my head. I eventually became in the all-clear but still had yearly checkups at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio until I turned 18.

During my childhood, my mother developed breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy and chemotherapy. When I was 18, she had a reoccurence and found that the cancer had returned to her bones. I helped take care of her. She fought a hard and courageous fight, but succumbed the the cancer in 1993. I was married at this point, and had a 2 year old son. In 2000, while taking a shower, I felt a hard lump in my breast. I immediately went to my family Dr. who sent me for a mammogram ASAP. It turned out abnormal and a biopsy was scheduled. At the age of 29, I remember waking up, still groggy from the anethesia to hear the news that I had breast cancer. Because of my mother and my childhood cancer, I had a bi-lateral mastectomy. I then received chemo, and lost my hair again. At this time, I had a 3 year old son and my oldest son was in the 3rd grade. My marriage fell apart, my husband chose to leave us and assume another relationship with a woman he worked with. After about a year of again, seeming to be in the all clear stage, I went back to school and began working full time to support my boys. During this time I could not obtain health insurance, my job did not have a good plan and I was turned down. I went for atleast 4 years without health insurance, finding myself in this "gray area" where I was just at the cut-off point to receive Medicaid, I had no choice but to work and continue looking for a job that had a good health insurance plan. Finally in 2006, I found a decent job with benefits. I made an appointment for a check up with my family Dr. I mentioned to him about 2 small sub-cutaneous nodules on the back of my neck, about the size of a pencila erasor. I had them for a while, but thought they couldn't be too serious. I had a biopsy to remove them, even the surgeon who did the biopsy thought they were just harmless nodules. I remember the day I was told my cancer had returned, I was totally shocked. I had just gotten off work and went to the surgeon's office for a follow up visit. He said that the nodules contained breast cacncer cells and I needed to get in ASAP to my oncologist, which I promptly did. I have since switched Dr.'s after a second opinion. My original oncologist made sure to mention in his notes that I did not follow up as I should have, which left me feeling terribly guilty, but I owed him money as I was trying to go along as self pay for 4 years, what was I supposed to do? I could hardly make ends meet. Well, enough of the blame game, I do not hold him responsible for my reoccurence, even though I sometimes feel I have been cursed. My new oncologist, as of 07/07 put me through many tests, CAT scans, PET scan, etc. I was told I have Stage 4 Breast cancer that has metastisized to my bones-what a really horrible coincidence, the same as my mother. I was put on Aromasin and Zometa for a year. Just this week, I was told that the cancer has worsened and that the medication was no longer working. I just finished 2 full weeks of radiation and now am trying Faslodex, it is the only drug left to try before chemo. The only way I could obtain health insurance was to go on disbility. I tried to work up until October of last year but my lower back pain was unbearable. My insurance was only valid if I worked part time. I really need to bring positive changes into my life. I am so depressed, I know I have to put up a great fight, even though I feel so tired. It really helps to know that I am not alone and there are many who are fighting this diesease along with me.

Hi --My name is amanda and I was diagnoised with stage 3 melanoma in dec 2007. They got all the Melanoma out of my face were the mole was and then it spread to one lymph node so I had to have more surgery on my neck to get the rest of the lymph nodes out. I am now doing interferon injections untill march 2009. Its really hard. I am having tons of symptoms and major depression. I have no appetite, My mouth tastes weird all the time, fatigue, no energy or motivation, chills, muscle aches, headaches, awful nausia and stomach aches and my hair is thinning pretty bad. Its crazy I am going through this. I never thought this would happen to me at age 30. I had a wedding planned that I had to cancel and we just bought  a house and I love my job and life was good and then you get this news and it really makes you want to enjoy life even more. I live by jimmy valvano's speech saying "Dont give up, Dont ever give up".

My name is Nicole. I am 28 years old. I am a wife, a mother of two small boys, and I am proud to say that I am also cancer survivor. I found out 5 weeks after my second son was born that I had stage 2b Hodgkins. Talk about hard. I took the news very hard. My prognosis was very good, but I couldn't wrap my brain around that. All I could think about was my babies not having a mother. The start of my journey was the hardest thing I have ever delt with. Mentally I was so tired from all of the information I had been given. Physically I thought I was going to pass out everyother second. Here I was recovering from giving birth to jumping into bone marrow and lymphnode biopseys and scan after scan. I got my port put in on November 17th, then Chemo started on the 27th. At my first appointment the doctor and his staff went over all of my medications and the side effects. All I remember from that day is hearing that I would lose my hair. That even overshadowed the throwing up. After my first treatment it seemed to get easier. I still was violently ill, but the countdown for it all to be over was on. That was untill my last treatment was 1 week away. I was so scared to be done. It was the moment of truth. Was I really done? Did I beat cancer? Was I CANCER FREE? Then it was time, not just any time but result time. I held my husband and just staired at the called id. I was actually scared to hear my results. Finally he made me awnser the phone. I picked up and just sat on the other end silent. Finally the nurse said "Nicole, You did it! Your scans came back showing no signs of cancer in your body." I just kept asking her if she was sure. It has now been 2 months. I am back to work, and mot importantly back to my life, my kids, and my family. Being a survivor is more then just getting a second chance. It is the most unexplainable feeling of pride that I think I could ever feel. I now live my life for those who never received that all clear call. I don't take things for granted. I tell people what I think as I am thinking it, I try not to let more that a few days go by without talking to all of the wonderful people in my life.

I love to talk to other people that have experienced what I have been thru, And I would love to be here for anyone that might need a sholder or a glance into their cancer free future. STAY STRONG!

Nicole

Dearborn MI>

Hello All

Lately I'm called Turtle , a name picked up at First Descents (FD) last year.  I just want to say, Thanks for helping with such an awesome program!  I was mostly pushed into one of the week long camps last year from the folks at Children's Hospital in Denver, CO.  When at the time my diagnosis of; a class 4 stage 4 uber rare cancer, and with a name only Mary Poppins might say rightly.  I was given about a week to a month left originally.  Ahead the prognosis was still fresh and looming larger than life.  Figuring I'd be dead in a few months the idea of learning to kayak would be a fun way to go out in style.  River Kayaking had always been a goal unrealized in life!  The now, life long friends and relationships seriously helped through the entire treatment regimen.  Especially the times some of us would get together after camp to go paddle the rivers.  A great time was going out half about way through 2 months of radiation by Glenwood in Springs class 3 rapids.  My hands finally got to weak to paddle and Brad Ludden (FD's creator and friend) grabbed my kayak and we floated the rest of Shoshone together.  Well looking back on the last year's fight through treatments plus everything going down hill after radiation I now thank God for you guys and F.D.  as something that helped buoy me through tough times, and monotony of long drives to Denver for chemo every Friday.    So the now that I'm finished chemo on Feb, 29th; kayaking this spring with a  good prognosis will be my spring board for PT and rehab.  Who knows... Teva games this year or next?  The Cancer also made me quit schooling and work so now I'm going for another unrealized goal: EMT training this spring.  Pray chemo brain doesn't get too hairy. 

Any running event is a long ways off till I get a bit of muscle back on this stick figure body; however, If Ullman decides to get in any kayak event let me know I'll be there paddle in hand.    So again thank you.  My thoughts are with you all fighting the hard fight.

Turtle

Hi all, First I am not so young.  I am 49.  I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on August 14, 2006.  I was going to school at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Delhi  Cincinnati, Ohio.  I had a tumor the size of a baseball attached to my small intestine.  It was revealed by a CAT scan when I went to the ER.  Later the PET scan showed 7 lesions on my spleen and liver.

Good Samaritan Hospital has been the best hospital, I had the best oncologist Dr. James Maher. 

But I did not know the hardest part comes after the 8 consecutive chemotherapy treatments.  I gained weight like Toni.  I was not allowed to go to school or work.  I am still having CAT scans every three months and I have just gone back to school part-time. 

I myself, questioning as to what God has in store for me.  My hair has finally grown back but now I have skin cancer that I had before the tumor was caught.

  Community out there, I need your strength.

My classmate from the I have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation has been the most awesome woman having been a survivor herself along with other friends.of mine.

God bless you all.    

Janette Anneken

P.S.  I am the one in the middle,  the old lady.

Janette Anneken

My name is Janice and I was diagnosed with Acute M. Leukemia in February 14th, 2008.  What a Valentines Day...huh?  Today is my last day of my 7-day Chemo treatment.  My friend left me her laptop and I just found the Ulman Cancer Fund Web site.  I love everything on here and it gives me so much strength to know that other young adults can understand what I'm going through.  I'm 28 and look forward to being very active on this site.  Right now it is late and I need to get some sleep in before the nurses start coming for their (what seems like) hourly vital checks.  So glad that I get to share my story with you guys and gain strenth from all the members on here.

Hello all, I am 27 years old and was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. I have no family history and I am a non smoker. I am in the middle of my last semester of graduate school. I have to believe that I will get through this with my head up. I am greatful for all the words of encouragements that I have read. Have faith and God will see you through. 

Hi all, I have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer at age 32. It is a hard pill to swollow when you hear this kind of news. I am a nonsmoker that was exposed to second-hand smoke for most of my youth. I have a wonderful wife and my first child is due in 2 weeks. This has been a blessing and has kept me focused on fighting this cancer with everything I have. I know it is hard to be positive and motivated, but, the one thing we have going for us is our youth. Keep smiling and stay strong... If anyone wants to get in touch with me please feel free to e-mail. We can rally each other through these tough times.

Cheers.