{"id":1599,"date":"2017-02-28T20:21:52","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T20:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=1599"},"modified":"2023-11-16T16:25:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T21:25:39","slug":"life-after-lymphoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/life-after-lymphoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Life after Lymphoma","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, CHN shared photos of Support Volunteer Cyndie, the winner of our volunteer raffle. The prize, donated by Palm Beach Esthetics, was valued at nearly $300 and contained a variety of specialty skincare products. We caught up with Cyndie to learn a little more about her journey from CHN patient to Support Volunteer.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJuly 1994 was a very strange time,\u201d recalls Support Volunteer Cyndie. A few months earlier, her father had lost his four-year battle with Non-Hodgkin\u2019s Lymphoma. \u201cMy daughter Amanda was 3, my son Michael was just 1 year old. My life was extremely busy with two\u00a0little ones and a part time job. After one such day of running around, I carried them into the house and to my surprise discovered a huge golf ball on the side of my neck when I looked in the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was terrifyingly familiar. \u201cOf course I flashed back to the lump my father had. It took five weeks to get my diagnosis. I completed antibiotics, scans, biopsies, and had to find a surgeon. It was a whirlwind.\u201d<\/p>\n

She began treatment that September and was connected with a Cancer Hope Network volunteer. \u201cIt was a really scary part of life, just losing my dad and I had these two little kids. My Support Volunteer came to my house, sat and talked with me. She was such an inspiration because she was living proof that things would be OK, it was just going to take some courage and patience. More than two decades later, I remember her being there and talking with me. She was also a mother, and \u00a0was living her normal life.\u201d
\n\u201cIt made me feel so much better.\u00a0 I had a very supportive family but they had just gone through losing my dad. I really cherished the fact that I could express what I was feeling to her. It meant I wasn\u2019t adding another burden to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyndie often discusses her wrenching emotional roller coaster with the patients she counsels as a Support Volunteer. \u201cThere are so many emotions when you\u2019re diagnosed. When I was only three weeks old, my biological mother died from an aneurysm. For me, the thought of leaving my babies was a very real fear. I never wanted my babies to wake up with that knowledge that \u2018my mom died.\u2019 Like many mothers, I had the fear of not being there for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her matches see themselves in her honesty \u2013 and she is able to share the hope and lessons she\u2019s learned through treatment and beyond. \u201cWhen you\u2019re going through diagnosis and treatment, every day is different. One day, you\u2019re feeling good, the next, your emotions get the best of you, and or your body gets the best of you. I tell them that what they\u2019re going through is temporary. It\u2019s not the best thing that will happen in your life, but the end result can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyndie is the proud mother of three (Amazing! Wonderful!\u00a0 Brilliant!) children.\u00a0 Before starting chemotherapy, her doctor suggested freezing her eggs in case she and her husband wanted to grow their family post treatment. They decided against it, focusing on her treatment and raising Amanda and Michael. \u201cAnd then we got our bonus baby!\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Christian, named because his birth was a miracle, is studying Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Her son Michael has completed college and started his career. Cyndie\u2019s daughter, Amanda a nurse, is happily married. \u201cI think I enjoyed her wedding more than my own,\u201d Cyndie laughs. \u201cIt was big excitement in our household. It was such a blessing thinking back 23 years ago when I had that little girl and worried if I\u2019d ever see her wedding someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so blessed with the life I have. It wasn\u2019t easy going through chemotherapy and radiation, but it helped me find my priorities. I\u2019ve learned to ask \u2018Does it matter?\u2019 Cancer gave me an opportunity to appreciate every day.”<\/p>\n

While every diagnosis is different and each treatment protocol a unique challenge, Cyndie\u2019s advice for anyone facing cancer is simple: \u201cEnjoy every day like it\u2019s a vacation. You don\u2019t know what tomorrow holds, but if you can enjoy the moments of today, you\u2019re truly blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diagnosed when her children were very young, Cyndie discusses parenting, recovery and the importance of making the most of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":23,"featured_media":8756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[114,115,116],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLife after Lymphoma - Cancer Hope Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cJuly 1994 was a very strange time,\u201d recalls Support Volunteer Cyndie. A few months earlier, her father had lost his four-year battle with Non-Hodgkin\u2019s Lymphoma. \u201cMy daughter Amanda was 3, my son Michael was just 1 year old. 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