My name is Mary Catherine and I live in Canada. I’m 40 years old and a mom to 6-year old twin girls. My follicular lymphoma was discovered completely by accident due to an issue following an operation.
Unfortunately, I have another chronic health condition called Endometriosis and had to have surgery in 2021. It was during this procedure when they intubated me that there was a problem that needed further investigation, so they performed an endoscopy which resulted in the discovery that I had follicular lymphoma. As I was recovering from my surgery, I was faced with a brand new and scary diagnosis – wham, cancer!
Managing life with follicular lymphoma has been a massive challenge for me as a young mother and someone already battling chronic health issues. The hardest moment was late last year when during a regular follow up, they discovered my FL had grown.
I felt angry and bitter as my oncologist always positioned this as a fairly innocuous cancer. I felt the weight of living in constant anxiety and fear. My biggest triumph has been learning to seize the moments in life.
If I can offer any guidance to others living with FL, it would be that completing programmes that can address constant anxiety and worry can be helpful. Also to join supportive communities and connect with others on this journey.
