My name is Laurilyn, and I am from the USA. I am married and a mom to two kids and am now retired. I have stage 4 lymphoma which was diagnosed in 2023.
I had planned a trip to go and visit my kids and was supposed to be on a plane, but instead I found myself in the Emergency Room in extreme pain. They determined the cause was a 10 centimeter mass near my kidney which was pushing on my uterus and as a result I had to have a CAT scan and a biopsy. Discovering further masses near my kidney, aorta and thyroid the biopsy proved I had follicular lymphoma.
Not one to normally lack energy, I could not understand why I was feeling lethargic all the time, and blamed it on the relentless Arizona heat, however, once I received my diagnosis I realised of course, that it was due to my having FL. I went for chemotherapy and not three months later was back to my usual energetic self, even managing to climb the stairs at the Red Rock Amphitheater in Colorado. Thankfully, I am now in remission.
The one thing I would want to share with others in the FL community is to give yourself some grace. Chemotherapy is hard and takes its toll on your physical and mental health – it’s ok to have those days where you just don’t want to deal with anything. It is ok to have all the feels; cry, scream, be afraid, but ultimately know you can do this. I would say that the disease takes so much from us but that you should not let it dictate your life.
