Why We Write
Mort has kindly written of my energy. I assure you that his exceeds mine. Why do we write blogs, talk to patients, etc., etc.? Because we know the anguish of a lymphoma diagnosis. Because we were spared by radioimmunotherapy. And because we know how much it helps to talk to others who have "been there and done that."
As I have said before, I am extremely lucky to live in Ann Arbor where I was treated by one of the world's foremost lymphoma experts. When I was diagnosed in 2002, neither Zevalin nor Bexxar had been approved. By the time of my second relapse during treatment, Zevalin had been FDA approved but it had not been approved for payment by insurers. Yet it was the best option available to save my life. Had I not been treated at the University of Michigan by experts who were intimately familiar with the latest and greatest treatments - and who went into overdrive to make the drug available - it is highly doubtful that I would be here today.
When nothing else worked, radioimmunotherapy rescued me and handed my life back to me. After months of chemotherapy and side effects, I was amazed by a treatment that was so easy to take and so effective against a disease that had proved resistant to everything else - and "amazed" is an understatement! If I could, I would shout from every rooftop, fly banners behind planes and drop fliers over every neighborhood in the world to let people know about this treatment.
But sometimes, a simple one on one conversation is just as effective. Sometimes we all need to talk to others who have walked in our shoes, not only to ask about treatments, but to share our fears and our successes. Mort and I understand that and we also know how lucky we were to have had such highly trained medical experts on our side. We are both honored and humbled to share our experiences with all of you, wherever you are, with the hope that you will be empowered by information and encouraged by our recovery.
Betsy