Dan's Journey w/ Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Dan is a wonderful father and an amazing spouse! It has been extremely hard to see him experience this journey and it has changed our family situation, emotionally and financially. This was not what we expected…

In early January, Dan was experiencing daily symptoms such as night sweating, itching, fevers, coughing, unexplained weight loss and pain in his chest. During an emergency hospital visit, he was diagnosed with pneumonia, yet his night sweating and itching couldn’t be answered. After his first completed antibiotic prescription, his condition was worsening, his doctor then prescribed him a stronger antibiotic. In early March, he saw his doctor again and the doctor did not know why the antibiotics weren’t working so Dan was referred to a lung specialist. During these 3 months of constant symptoms Dan continued to work his physically demanding full-time (12-hour shift) job driving and delivering appliances. During his time of sickness, I was in the middle of completing my final teaching practicum.

By April 2018, Dan met the lung specialist and a bronchoscopy was done to test what was in his lung. A week after his bronchoscopy, specialists were confident he had lymphoma. He was referred to an oncologist at the Cancer Agency and many procedures/tests/surgeries were scheduled within a 3-week period to receive a diagnosis and prognosis of lymphoma.

By May 2018, his illness was progressing, and he could no longer work. Due to an emergency in late May, he was admitted into the hospital and all his tests/surgeries/procedures were pushed to occur in a week’s time. Finally, we received results and he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Stage IV.


Dan will be receiving treatment of chemotherapy twice a month for 6 months. He is also having to inject blood thinner every day for the next 6 months for the blood clot in his lung.

Dan is starting medical/illness leave and I am working as a teacher teaching on call and having to be unavailable for work up to 3-4 days a week to support/care for Dan and our daughter. Dan will be off work for 8+ months and that is where our issue is. We have rent, bills, car payments, groceries, gas, and a loss of income as his E.I doesn’t support his family as his full-time job did, and because I provide the main support/care for Dan as well as my daughter, I lose the potential of earning income when I am needed at home or taking him to his appointments. Our income is unpredictable and the stress of wondering how we are going to pay for his additional medical expenses, travel expenses as well as part of our living expenses has been a stressful start to this journey.

Your support will ease this unpredictability and help with our additional and existing expenses.

I am amazed how well Dan has handled his diagnosis and 4 months of constant agony and uncomfortable symptoms. He remains to be high spirited and positive! 

Thank you for taking the time to read about Dan’s story and thank you for your support.