{"id":2429,"date":"2017-08-22T21:28:26","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T21:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=2429"},"modified":"2023-11-16T16:13:53","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T21:13:53","slug":"from-coma-to-chemo-to-recovery-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/from-coma-to-chemo-to-recovery-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"From coma to chemo to recovery","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Some folks will go years without seeing a doctor, decades without a hospital stay. Jeff Studzinski, wasn\u2019t so lucky.<\/p>\n

A diabetic for more than 30 years, Jeff\u2019s focus on healthy eating and consistent exercise wasn\u2019t enough to prevent his kidneys from failing in 2004. \u201cEven with great care and sugar control, the worst can happen.\u201d What he thought was a severe case of the flu landed him in the hospital, where he slipped into a coma. After regaining consciousness, he began dialysis three times a week.<\/p>\n

\"match<\/a>
\nA gift of life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following two years of dialysis, he was physically and spiritually ready for a transplant. He was blown away by \u201can outpouring of family, loved ones, business associates and church friends who came up to me and told me they would give me one of their kidneys. To this day, I can never truly express my thanks.\u201d\u00a0 His daughter Monica turned out to be an exact match and on October 12, 2006, they checked into Northwestern Hospital. Jeff\u2019s life was saved.<\/p>\n

\"Jeff
\nMore than a decade later, Jeff is still overwhelmed by the love that made Monica\u2019s gift possible.\u00a0 Each year, on his \u201ckidney anniversary,\u201d he gives her a letter detailing the good he\u2019s been able to accomplish, the many ways he\u2019s been able to help others thanks to her sacrifice. \u201cI will never be able to put the best words together to describe her\u2026.except heroic.\u00a0 I\u2019m in awe of her. She\u2019s a daily reminder that a hero isn\u2019t someone who\u2019s out to save the world. Sometimes, they\u2019re just a person who saves the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Request a free and confidential peer match<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

His recovery progressed and Jeff put his commitment to sharing his gratitude and making the most of his new lease on life into action. He became a volunteer for Donate Life, the National Kidney Foundation, speaking out about the importance of organ donation, diabetes research and healthcare. He has also served on the Transplant Board for Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
\n\"nwern
\nThen, lightning struck again. The immunosuppressant drugs that had been keeping his new kidney healthy \u2013 and him alive! \u2013 led to a diagnosis of Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin\u2019s Lymphoma. The heady joy of life with a new kidney was replaced by more trips to Northwestern; this time for aggressive chemotherapy as part of a clinical trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything changed for me after that diagnosis. The best way I can describe it is that my life is now crystal clear, HD, 1080DP, 3-dimensional. I cherish everything. It was like putting on a new pair of glasses at the optometrist. I listen more intently. I find myself not shaking hands, but hugging. I\u2019m moving through life more slowly, with more intention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Living in gratitude – even on dark days<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeff\u2019s upbeat attitude and gratitude for the love that surrounds him is palpable. But like many cancer patients, Jeff faced dark days. He chokes up when he recalls the agony of watching his wife and children fight alongside him, \u201cIt was a family fight. My family are literally my heroes \u2013 and when you\u2019re surrounded by your heroes, you don\u2019t want to show that you\u2019re in pain or suffering. I was praying for courage to smile and be kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Become a cancer survivor or caregiver mentor.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a prayer that\u2019s been answered many times since his diagnosis. Now fully recovered, he knows there\u2019s a chance his lymphoma will return. But he\u2019s focused on spreading hope and kindness.\u00a0 \u201cWhether the cancer comes back tomorrow or the next day, I want my kids to know I\u2019ve helped a lot of people. Cancer was an opportunity to think about my legacy. When I was going through treatment, I wanted that legacy to be that I\u2019d battled cancer with great integrity and compassion. That battle continues, but today I\u2019m doing everything in my power to change the world in one place, to help people fighting cancer with everything they\u2019ve got.\u201d
\n\"Jeff
\nDuring his cancer recovery Jeff worked with his son Josh to launch a Facebook community that would share the faith that\u2019s sustained him and to share the hope that\u2019s been such a major part of his recovery.\u00a0 (Jeff’s Facebook page: Jeff Studzinski: Cancer Hope Coach<\/a> has over 10,000 followers!) It resonated with patients and caregivers across the globe and today, his online community reaches thousands each week and includes Miracle Mondays (a five-minute opportunity for people across the globe to pray together virtually each week) and Faithful Fridays, when members are encouraged to reach out and help someone else. It may be a call or a kind word \u2013 or even a casserole \u2013 but the focus is sharing what Jeff calls \u201cthe blessing of helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to work with Cancer Hope Network to promote our mutual vision of hope. Kindness is always in season. Compassion is always in season. The kindness we do for others propels great hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"match<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transforming crisis into purpose. <\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":23,"featured_media":8743,"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":[65,163],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom coma to chemo to recovery - Cancer Hope Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The treatments keeping kidney cancer survivor Jeff alive led to his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. 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