Diagnosed with stage IV follicular lymphoma in January 2002, Betsy de Parry entered a clinical trial in which she would take six rounds of CVP followed by a vaccine if she stayed in remission. After two rounds, CVP proved to be ineffective. CHOP with Rituxan immediately followed, but after five of the planned eight treatments, the disease returned. While chemotherapy failed to stop the disease, it did buy enough time for the FDA to approve radioimmunotherapy which ultimately rescued her in September 2002. She was treated at the University of Michigan by Dr. Mark Kaminski.
During Betsy's illness, she wrote prolifically and subsequently turned her story into a book entitled, The Roller Coaster Chronicles (www.lymphomabook.com). Since her recovery, she has also spoken to patient groups and to the medical community about her experience. With the hope that patients and their families will gain insight to help them with their own situations, Betsy looks forward to sharing how she and her supportive husband navigated through both the emotional and physical aspects of cancer.
Betsy lives and works with her husband Alex in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is vice president of marketing and sales for their homebuilding company. Together, they have three children, two grandchildren and a cat.
