Hi, my name is Jessica Brinley.

On May 28th, I found out I have lymphoma. Then on June 3rd, the day before my 26th birthday, I learned it's Stage 2 Hodgkin Lymphoma. I’m lucky in the sense that the type of cancer I have is highly treatable with a strong prognosis. But at the end of the day, it’s still cancer.

Before treatment started, I truly believed I could power through it. I thought I’d keep working my regular 40 hour week, manage the side effects, and carry on like nothing had changed. I was quickly humbled.

Cancer is good at one thing: throwing life lessons at you. The hardest lesson so far has been learning to ask for help, even when I really don't want to.

Since being diagnosed, I’ve already been to the ER five times.

• Once for an infection at the biopsy site where they removed two lymph nodes
• Once because my chemo chest port bled for over three hours
• And three more times due to chemo-related complications that led to multiple hospital stays

A lot of this has been made more complicated by my medical history. When I was 5 years old, I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the nervous system. I had to relearn how to walk, use my hands, and do basic tasks. It left me with lasting nerve damage.

Now, about 4 to 5 days after each chemo session, I experience excruciating nerve and bone pain. It's so severe that IV dilaudid barely helps.

The first time it happened, I tried to tough it out and refused to be admitted. I ended up back in the ER days later and was admitted for three days. After my next chemo session, the pain returned, and I was hospitalized for nine days.

I’ve started working with palliative care to try and manage the pain better, which has helped, but now I take 11 new medications daily just to keep it under control.

All of this has forced me to take a lot of time off work, and unfortunately, FMLA doesn’t come with a paycheck. Between prescription costs, hospital stays, ER visits, co-pays, gas for travel, and just regular monthly bills, things are adding up fast.

As much as I wish I didn’t have to ask, I could really use your help.

Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting me in any way you can.

- Jessica

Venmo: Jbrinley5

PayPal: Jbbrinley5