48 years survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma and now the side effects

juanchoboyd89
juanchoboyd89 Member Posts: 1 Member
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

I wanted to share an update about my mother’s health, as many of you have experienced similar long-term effects from cancer treatments. She is a very pleasant 66-year-old woman who is a 48-year survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma. Diagnosed in 1976, she received cobalt mantle radiation as part of her treatment. She was only 17 years old.

While she has successfully survived cancer, she has experienced several complications from the radiation. These include thyroid cancer, for which she had a partial resection, as well as radiation heart disease. She has also had an aortic valve replacement through TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) and continues to manage significant aortic valve disease and pericarditis.

Despite these ongoing health challenges, she continues to approach each day with remarkable strength and optimism.

Thank you for allowing me to share her journey. I hope her experience resonates with those of you who have also faced long-term effects from past treatments.

Comments

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,512 Member
    #2

    Thank you! and she was treated in the relative stone age of chemotherapy. Something to ponder is the number of people who experience the same health issues who never had a cancer diagnosis. "Life changer", "game changer" etc. are all very trite expressions. I prefer to think of cancer as re-setting my perspective. Survivors may be weaker physically, but they are assuredly stronger mentally, even spiritually. All else is less of a threat once cancer is seen in restrospect.

  • dezinekath
    dezinekath Member Posts: 1 *
    #3

    I had mantle radiation for Hodgkins in 1985. I have since had a fibro sarcoma in my upper abdomen wall (2000), a thyroidectomy due to multiple nodules (non cancerous), (2007), multiple basal cell carcinomas, quadruple bypass surgery (2013), breast cancer (2017), and just last month was diagnosed with lung cancer and am having surgery this week to remove the right lower lobe of lung. I have never smoked. I can appreciate your mothers health situations. I have had 2 healthy children and am very grateful for that and obviously 40 years of survival so I too have taken it all in stride, but am exhausted at this point by even the thought of this surgery. I am sorry for those that are going through the long term effects of those old therapies, but grateful (and tired) that we have come so far improving treatment.

  • cathyp
    cathyp Member Posts: 379 Member
    #4
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1717942#Comment_1717942

    The survivor had cobalt radiation. I had radiation in 1989. The amounts they used have produced many long term effects. Add in chemo and cardiac issues are exacerbated. Procarbazine of MOPP treatment for HL is known cause of colon cancers. So all in all it's the lethal levels of the radiation not the chemo given in the 'stone age" that is the issue for her numerous late effects

  • cathyp
    cathyp Member Posts: 379 Member
    #5

    Recognizing your mom's survivor journey. It's a rough one at stretches considering the possible late effects from radiation and or chemo. If you ever need resources Hodgkin's International is a great place for late effect information. Best wishes for your mom from a 35 yr survivor and 4 time cancer survivor.

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