I graduated college as a healthy young adult in May 2019 from Salve Regina University receiving my Bachelor’s in Business Administration. The following week after graduation, I learned there was a mass located above my collar bone on the left side of my neck. After hours in and out of doctor’s offices, I would learn that I had stage 2b Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer that attacks the body’s immune system.
The term cancer was never a word I thought I would ever use to describe myself, especially as a young 22 year old. I thought to myself “really me? I play sports, I eat well, I am healthy.” However, my body throughout my senior year was trying to tell me “we need help”. My body was showing the symptoms of a cancerous tumor since July 2018. I kept writing off the random fevers, night sweats, and fatigue to my busy schedule balancing school, work, and hockey.
After my diagnosis, I would begin chemotherapy treatment in June at Dana Farber in Boston, MA. I underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and I am in a remission from my cancer. Throughout this cancer journey, my family and friends raised money to donate to the Jimmy Fund by creating violet bracelets with the words “Angela’s Army” on them. The bracelets inspired me to persevere as the treatments became more grueling and taxing on my body.
I keep on battling because of “Angela’s Army”. The magnitude of people who wear their Angela’s Army bracelets everyday, has given me the resilience and motivation to keep going.
Any donation of any size goes a long way for my charity. Throughout my chemotherapy treatments; sweatshirts, winter beanies, fuzzy socks, blankets and tea made me feel a sense of ease and comfort. Therefore, these donations will go towards creating more Angela’s Army “Care Packages” to help make cancer patients feel a sense of comfort through their treatments, knowing they have the support of an army behind them.