Nema's Fight with Hodgkins Lymphoma
Donation protected
It was hard for me to share my story since I am a private person, but I am letting my gaurd down to hopefully bring awareness to others and help as much as I can with people who are also going through this struggle. I appreciate the support and prayers.
How I Found Out:
For the past year, I have been working out and trying to get back into shape. I lost 45lbs in 8 months and felt and looked the best I ever did, but there was something holding me back. I was always tired and fatigue. I also started noticing major bags underneath my eyes and massive wrinkles on my face forming. I really didn’t understand why that was happening to me because my family ages very well and our wrinkles are very light and not noticeable. I also couldn’t sleep. I kept blaming my poor mother for buying me a new Temper-Pedic mattress for my sleepless nights. My body would itch uncontrollably, to the point I would break my skin and create new scars. My immune system was super low. I would drill my friends to never be around me if they were slightly sick because whatever they had I would contract it and have it for weeks. I thought each and every one of these symptoms I was constantly going through on a weekly basis was from losing weight and changing my eating habits, but little did I know I had a much bigger deal.
November 2014, I was injured during a training session. At the same time I injured my shoulder I realized that my neck was swollen. I assumed that it was from the injury and waited a long time to go and check it out because I thought it would heal over time. I went to China with a couple of my close friends and realized when I was hiking the Great Wall in Beijing that there was something really wrong with my body. I couldn’t catch my breath and my muscles ached. I was questioning myself why this was happening when I was in the best shape of my life? I knew that I had to get checked when I got back to the states.
My doctor knew I had injured my shoulder and had seen the bump above my clavicle bone/neck. He advised me to take pain meds to bring the swelling down which I did at the time (back in November) and I also requested an MRI because I felt like my muscle was torn. Ironically, the radiologist scanned just my shoulder for the MRI and not my neck (where the lump was and main concern). So when I was in China, the radiologist saw that I had inflammation towards the neck area but couldn’t quite see what it was unless I got another scan ordered (more money and more delay). When I went to finally see the doctor after my trip to China, he was very concerned that I still had the lump. He examined me and in a very concerned tone he tells me that I need an urgent biopsy because my lymph node in my neck is enlarged. The next day, I got a needle biopsy in my neck (very painful). The result came in a week later and the Doctor calls to tell me that I have Lymphoma. After more tests and a surgical and bone marrow Biopsy, I was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkins Lymphoma on April 1st, 2015. From the scans, the committee of Oncologist came to the conclusion that I’ve had Lymphoma since summer of 2014. I have 3 large masses in my chest, one large mass in my neck and a few other areas affected like my spleen, thyroid and bronchia.
How I Found Out:
For the past year, I have been working out and trying to get back into shape. I lost 45lbs in 8 months and felt and looked the best I ever did, but there was something holding me back. I was always tired and fatigue. I also started noticing major bags underneath my eyes and massive wrinkles on my face forming. I really didn’t understand why that was happening to me because my family ages very well and our wrinkles are very light and not noticeable. I also couldn’t sleep. I kept blaming my poor mother for buying me a new Temper-Pedic mattress for my sleepless nights. My body would itch uncontrollably, to the point I would break my skin and create new scars. My immune system was super low. I would drill my friends to never be around me if they were slightly sick because whatever they had I would contract it and have it for weeks. I thought each and every one of these symptoms I was constantly going through on a weekly basis was from losing weight and changing my eating habits, but little did I know I had a much bigger deal.
November 2014, I was injured during a training session. At the same time I injured my shoulder I realized that my neck was swollen. I assumed that it was from the injury and waited a long time to go and check it out because I thought it would heal over time. I went to China with a couple of my close friends and realized when I was hiking the Great Wall in Beijing that there was something really wrong with my body. I couldn’t catch my breath and my muscles ached. I was questioning myself why this was happening when I was in the best shape of my life? I knew that I had to get checked when I got back to the states.
My doctor knew I had injured my shoulder and had seen the bump above my clavicle bone/neck. He advised me to take pain meds to bring the swelling down which I did at the time (back in November) and I also requested an MRI because I felt like my muscle was torn. Ironically, the radiologist scanned just my shoulder for the MRI and not my neck (where the lump was and main concern). So when I was in China, the radiologist saw that I had inflammation towards the neck area but couldn’t quite see what it was unless I got another scan ordered (more money and more delay). When I went to finally see the doctor after my trip to China, he was very concerned that I still had the lump. He examined me and in a very concerned tone he tells me that I need an urgent biopsy because my lymph node in my neck is enlarged. The next day, I got a needle biopsy in my neck (very painful). The result came in a week later and the Doctor calls to tell me that I have Lymphoma. After more tests and a surgical and bone marrow Biopsy, I was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkins Lymphoma on April 1st, 2015. From the scans, the committee of Oncologist came to the conclusion that I’ve had Lymphoma since summer of 2014. I have 3 large masses in my chest, one large mass in my neck and a few other areas affected like my spleen, thyroid and bronchia.
Organiser
Nema Hallak
Organiser
La Mesa, CA
