Help Robert Take On Lymphoma

My cancer story began this year on April 30, when a routine physical exam at my doctor's office noted a previously-undetected, abnormal mass of tissue in my neck. In the following weeks, I was subjected to a slew of imaging tests and biopsies, which ultimately determined that this tumor was a Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive lymphatic cancer that is one of the more common types of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. While it has the potential to spread quickly, this lymphoma can also respond well to chemotherapy treatment and has the potential to be cured.

As many diagnoses like this can be, learning this health news has been a huge shock and upheaval to my daily life. I had not noticed any ill effects of this cancer, and it's disconcerting to realize there are malignant cells in my body that would ultimately kill me were I not to take action. And it's been frustrating to have a potential summer of exploring Alaska under the midnight sun be overshadowed by this development. But I am very thankful for my healthcare providers for detecting this disease in the first place and for moving our plan of action along quickly. The last couple months have certainly been a crash course in navigating a medical system that I assumed I would not have to confront for a few more decades!

The road ahead involves a chemotherapy regimen that has a solid track record for these types of lymphomas. It requires an intravenous infusion of a cocktail of drugs once every three weeks. We'll start with 3-4 cycles of this, and then evaluate how my cancer is responding, adding some additional cycles of chemo as needed. So far, it doesn't appear that my cancer has spread much, and if that's confirmed as we finish up that first stage of treatment, then we'll fry the remaining tumor with radiation to really clean my body up. And hopefully, modern medicine will set me up with a clean bill of health so I can get back exploring next calendar year! I will be starting my treatment with the team at Fairbanks Cancer Care, but as we get into the fall I may transition over to finishing treatment in Eugene, OR where my family lives.

Of course, this process will result in considerable financial costs. Along with the medical bills for chemotherapy, potential radiation therapy, medications, biopsies, labwork, and imaging, I also am arranging suitable short-term rental accommodations in Fairbanks for myself and visiting family for the coming months (my little damp cabin with an outhouse is not quite the best lodging at the moment!), and the meal and transportation costs that come with it. I am hoping that the generosity of my social networks can help me and my family recoup some of these expenses and ease my recovery. Any contribution, no matter the size, will be tremendously appreciated. With your support, I can emerge from this journey as resilient, strong, and healthy as ever.

Thank you so very much,

Robert Snowden