Battle with Bianca

This is for my sister Bianca and her current battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 2017-now. Bianca is someone you can lean on when in need and gives back to her community by volunteering whenever she is needed or sees an opportunity. She helped organize a golf outing for St. Jude, made meal bags for night ministry and other local organizations, helped clean star farm on the south side of Chicago, ran a toy drive for the Valentine Boys & Girls Club and packed clothing donation bags for kids in the city at Cradles to Crayons since being employed at Coyote Logistics. Her passion has always been giving back to the community it's our turn to step in and help her with not only the cost of everyday living (rent, car payment & insurance, bills and groceries) but past medical bills that have accumulated over time as well that her insurance didn't cover. Bianca is currently on short-term disability until she is cleared to return to work by her doctors. Because of her sickness, she is not allowed to work due to her low immune system, risk of getting infections and the amount of time that is needed off work. She is regularly a very self-sufficient person who has a lot of pride, but this is a circumstance that she nor anyone really expects to be in, especially at her age. I want to thank everyone in advance. Any little bit helps even something as small as a share or a prayer, thank you!

Below is a history timeline current to date:

2017

FEBRUARY 1ST - First ever biopsy.

FEBRUARY 10TH- Diagnosed.

FEBRUARY 17TH- Had a picc line put in (a type of long catheter that is inserted through a peripheral vein, often in the arm, into a larger vein in the body, used when intravenous treatment is required over a long period.)

FEBRUARY 21ST- 1ST ABVD chemo session (It includes the drugs doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin), bleomycin sulfate, vinblastine sulfate, and dacarbazine. Also called ABVD.)

MAY 5TH- Remission.

2019

JANUARY 10TH - Pet Scan A PET scan is a test that creates 3 dimensional (3D) pictures of the inside of your body. PET stands for positron emission tomography. The PET scan uses a mildly radioactive drug to show up areas of your body where cells are more active than normal. It's used to help diagnose some conditions including cancer.

JANUARY 18TH - Found out cancer might be back.

JANUARY 22- Biopsy of left lung (relapsed Classical Hodgkins Lymphoma came back)

FEBRUARY 8TH- Started a new chemo regimen called I.C.E (ICE chemotherapy refers to a chemotherapy regimen that includes ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide. Doctors often prescribe this treatment for people with Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has come back. Many individuals who undergo ICE chemotherapy also have a stem cell transplant.) This treatment was 4 days inpatient at Christ Hospital. [ordered by oncologist not to work from that point forward]

MARCH 1st - Repeat pet scan showed another spot lit up in the left lung because of the location of the spot a biopsy could not be done at the time so they were going to try and treat it with a new chemo regimen called brentuximab verdotin that started

April 26th. After 1 round of brentuximab verdotin the chemo was stopped, and her oncologist presented her with the next option to cure her cancer and which was a Stem Cell Transplant.

MARCH 8TH- Met with a Hematologist at Northwestern for Stem Cell Transplant.

APRIL 26TH- New chemo regimen called Brentuximab Vedotin.

MAY 1ST - PICC line vascular catheter placed in the arm.

MAY 3RD- collection of stem cells. (Collected 14 bags of stem cells)

MAY 13TH- Admission for auto stem cell transplant.

MAY 13TH-16TH- Busulfan chemo.

MAY 17TH- Etoposide chemo.

MAY 18TH AND 19TH– Cytoxan chemo.

MAY 21ST & 22ND– Stem cell transplant (very low immune system will be hospitalized until around June 9, 2019, depending on status of health and infections.)

Following the transplant, she was not able to work for 1 year and will be put on a preventative chemo once a month for a year called Brentuximab Vedotin.

SEPTEMBER 5TH- Started preventative chemo.

2020

MARCH 26TH- Follow up with Hematologist & Oncologist. The doctors agreed to stop preventative chemo because of Covid.

APRIL 3RD- Weish4Ever Beneficiary (https://www.weish4ever.org/about)

JUNE 17TH- Repeat PET Scan. Small spot in the lung was still visible but did not change in size. Doctors agreed to keep an eye on it. No treatment was needed.

2021

MARCH 2ND- Repeat PET Scan. Small spot in the lung was still visible but did not change in size. Doctors agreed to keep an eye on it. No treatment was needed.

2022

AUGUST 11TH- Repeat PET Scan. The spot on the lung has grown in size so the doctors decided to do a dangerous biopsy.

AUGUST 29TH- Left robotic biopsy of mediastinal mass on left lung. The doctors went in robotically, collapsed the left lung and took as much of the mass they could to biopsy.

SEPTEMBER 23RD: Relapsed Classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma came back.

SEPTEMBER 30TH: All day testing and follow-up appointment with Oncologist to discuss treatment. The doctor recommended immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiation, and another transplant with a donor this time around.

OCTOBER 10TH: Follow up with a Hematologist for Stem Cell Transplant.

OCTOBER 19TH: Radiation Consult.

OCTOBER 3RD: Started chemo and immunotherapy. Pembrolizumab, Gemcitabine, Vinorelbine, and Doxorubicin (GVD) when given the immunotherapy there was an allergic reaction that occurred rash, feeling itchy, cough and chest pains, caused by inflammation in the lungs. Less than 10% of patients have this reaction. Since this happened Bianca could no longer do immunotherapy. Chemotherapy continued as scheduled every Monday.

NOVEMBER 28TH-DECEMBER 9TH: Radiation twice a day Monday-Friday for two weeks. Experienced nausea and was very fatigued.

JANUARY 13TH: Bianca will be admitted into the hospital for a month or more for her second Stem Cell Transplant. This time around they will use a donor's stem cells instead of her own since she has relapsed again.