My Cancer Diagnosis

On Tuesday, 12/02/08, my pediatrician ordered a chest x-ray to try a find a reason for the cough I have been experiencing for the past several weeks. They found a large mass in my chest and my journey began. Over the next couple of hours we traveled from the outpatient radiology office, then moved to the oncologist office, and finally to the pediatric ICU. Through the multiple doctors I saw, I was diagnosed with cancer by the end of the day. At this point, the doctors were still unsure of what type I of cancer had. They gave me a CT scan and and found that the tumor was pushing on my trachea and it was blocking over 50% of my airway. my trachea and the unknown growth rate of the tumor was their biggest concern at that point. On Wednesday they performed a needle biopsy to get a sample of the mass and determine what type of cancer it was exactly. Before they got the results back I got my first radiation treatment to try and shrink the tumor as soon as possible in order to open my airway back up. The next day (Thursday) I had already begun to feel much better due to the radiation. I was not coiffing, and I did not feel any pressure on my back like I had for the past few months. the Nurses woke me up early on Thursday to take me to the cancer center and get another dose of radiation. finally at around noon we got the results from the biopsy. They discovered that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It is cancer of the lymph nodes. According to my doctor considering my age, health, and positive attitude; he believes that there is a 90% chance that i will be totally cured from my cancer. They have begun my chemotherapy. It has been all good news at this point considering the situation.