Bella's Hodgkin Lymphoma fight

Meet Bella!

Bella has just celebrated her 21st birthday where her boyfriend, Nathan, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Apart from that excitement, she’s been doing pretty normal 21-year-old old stuff like house hunting for her perfect fixer upper, taking shifts at the Cotton On DC and working on passing her second year at RMIT studying Psychology.

Unfortunately, just weeks after her birthday, Bella was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. With this diagnosis has come a huge raft of worries, including treatment plans, fertility preservation and having to move home to be cared for by her family. One of these big worries is also financial. Although we are incredibly lucky to live in a country with outstanding health care there are still many bills, out of pocket costs, as well as loss of income for Bella, and her mum who will be taking time off work, to support her recovery.

Her first cycle of intensive chemotherapy is scheduled to start on the 14th of July, with treatment expected to continue for 6 months (12 months total, including recovery). She has taken a leave of absence from her studies, as advised by her doctor, and house-hunting has also been postponed as she will no longer have an income. Her job is not suitable for someone undergoing such treatment. Her wedding plans are also on hold.

We are hoping to raise enough money to ensure that this financial burden is the least of her worries and that Bella is able to get on with the important job of getting well and beating this cancer. Any money raised and not used will be donated to researching Hodgkin Lymphoma through the Leukemia Foundation.

I will continue to update everyone on her condition, treatment and healing as things progress and hope that you will keep her in your thoughts and prayers over the next six months as well. Thank you so much, in advance, for helping us support Bella.

Below is Bella’s timeline so far:

21st -22nd May: Bella turns 21 and is proposed to by her partner, Nathan, at their joint 21st Birthdays. They are excitedly house-hunting for their perfect fixer-upper. Bella is balancing work at the Cotton On DC in Geelong, Victoria and her Psychology degree at RMIT.

27th May: Bella finds a lump on the right side of her neck and makes an appointment to see her GP- who orders blood tests.

31st May: Her blood tests come back abnormal. She is sent for an urgent ultrasound on her neck.

3rd June: Bella is told to bring a support person to her doctor’s after her ultrasound.

4th June: Bella is referred to her Oncology specialist, Dr Jong. At this stage Hodgkin Lymphoma is likely, however there is some hope that she has Sarcoidosis which presents similarly. She is sent for a PET scan.

10th June: PET scan.

11th June: The PET scan results aren’t good. Bella is told that all indications point to an advanced disease. She is told she will need a biopsy and to begin IVF as soon as possible to preserve her eggs. There is still no clear diagnosis. That afternoon she meets with her biopsy specialist.

15th June: Bella has her first IVF appointment with Dr Johnstone at Monash IVF to discuss her options and start the process of egg retrieval.

16th June: Biopsy day. All is successful. Doctors remove 3 lymph nodes.

18th June: Bella receives her biopsy results and classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is diagnosed. Results show that her HL is rapidly spreading, from her neck down to below her diaphragm, including her oesophagus, sternum, and her heart.

21st June: She begins her IVF treatment journey, with injections due to start on the 24th. This includes multiple blood tests and scans to ensure she can begin treatment. At this point, beginning treatment as soon as possible is recommended by her care team.

22nd June: Bella has an appointment with a cardiologist to ensure her heart can handle the intensive chemotherapy. Results pending.

24th June: She has an appointment with a respiratory specialist who tests to ensure her lungs are also up for the challenge of chemotherapy; results indicate just below normal functioning.

25th June: Dr Jong informs Bella of her proposed treatment plan and the full extent of her diagnosis. Whilst also informing her of the physical, mental and emotional toll to be expected from her chemotherapy.

(25th June- present) – Bella has almost completed her first round of IVF, with egg collection scheduled for 7th of July. This will be her only cycle as her treatment needs to commence as soon as possible. Scans have confirmed that the cancer has spread even further, between the last scan and now.

What is Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Hodgkin lymphoma is a blood cancer that begins in the white blood cells called lymphocytes. It is one of the two main groups of lymphoma. The other group is non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma is sometimes called Hodgkin’s disease. The name Hodgkin comes from the doctor who first described this cancer. The disease usually starts in a lymph node at one or more places in the body. It can spread through the lymphatic system to other lymph tissue, particularly the spleen and bone marrow. Because the lymphatic system is a network throughout the body, Hodgkin lymphoma can appear in several parts of the body at the same time.

Sometimes, Hodgkin lymphoma spreads outside the lymphatic system to form a tumour in other organs, such as the liver or lung. This is known as extranodal disease.

For more information visit:

https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/hodgkin-lymphoma/