Fortunate Son

Me, without cancer. 12/15/25

One of the “fun” things about blood cancer is that it’s everywhere — all throughout the body. With lymphoma, think Russian Rulette but with lymph nodes: maybe it manifests, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe the lymph node is in your neck, maybe it’s deep in your gut where you can’t feel anything. Maybe you’ll be sick, maybe you won’t.

So, after failing two treatments and having the the entire blood-making apparatus (bone marrow/immune system) replaced, for me, annual PET scans are a bit nerve-wracking. Is it still lurking? What’s that discomfort in my abdomen? Are my blood counts off because of meds or cancer? I’ve had bad scans and high Deauville scores before and they’re difficult to see past.

But I’m here to tell you that you can get past the diagnosis. You can get past the fear. You can get past the treatment that makes you feel worse than the disease. You can overcome the most soul-crushing disappointments imaginable.

One of my favorite Winston Churchill quotes is “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Indeed.