Elephants and Tea - One Herd - 11

Our Voices
Did It Matter?
BY TRICIA HERNANDEZ, MS
I
t has been 22 years since a diagnosis of Hodgkin
lymphoma altered the course of my life. This
time of reflection has allowed me to consider
aspects of my experience that I was unable to
think about while undergoing treatment.
Like all people who hear the words,
" You have cancer, " followed by the regimen
of treatment prescribed-in my
case one that would control my schedule
for the next eight months-I felt
overwhelmed. From that point on until
the scans showed any difference, I was
a study subject. I was regularly poked
and prodded with the hope that the four
chemicals streaming into my veins every
two weeks would sufficiently control the
rampant reproduction of wayward cells.
After the regular course of chemotherapy
for six months, I walked away with some
fatigue, neuropathy, fear, and remission.
I wasn't done yet. Five weeks of daily radiation
treatments to my head and chest
followed and were meant to ensure the final
demise of the cells. I was released from any
further treatment with an amazing tan,
while retaining the same fatigue, neuropathy,
and remission. Over the next five years,
I was monitored and experienced improvement
in the side effects of treatment, though
I still held on tight to the fear. Nearly a year
after hearing the fateful words, " You have
cancer, " I heard the best words anyone with
cancer can hear: " You are cured. "
In the years since I heard the word
" cure, " I have spent time thinking about
who I was before cancer and who I became
after cancer. Becoming a patient did not
erase everything that made me, well " me. "
Did it matter that the person caring for me
was my partner in life for over a decade,
but no one referred to her that way? Did
it matter that we were planning to expand
our family when we were diagnosed with
cancer? Did it matter that I was a young
adult considering a job change that would
offer me better benefits and salary early in
my career?
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
ONE HERD ISSUE 2025
11
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Elephants and Tea - One Herd

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