On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, we will hear how Holly Witulski of Denver, Colorado survived Stage 2B Hodgkin lymphoma.  She learned of her diagnosis three months after she lost her job and the health insurance it provided.  The diagnosis was preceded by exhaustion and infected lymph nodes.  At age 25, Holly achieved survivorship, but not before going through a grueling regimen of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

 

When Holly started experiencing night sweats, low-grade fever and weight loss, she thought they might be tied to a radical diet she was on.  But then when she noticed her neck was swollen, she knew she needed medical attention.  She underwent x-rays and a biopsy while the lump in her neck had grown to the size of a golf ball.  Not long after that she was informed in 1996 she had Stage 2B Hodgkin lymphoma. 

 

Though living in Colorado, Holly returned to her native New Jersey to be around friends and family while getting treatment.  She had eight rounds of chemotherapy over an eight-week period, followed by five weeks of radiation oncology, five days a week.

 

With the chemo, she felt exhausted all the time, lost her hair and had terrible mouth sores.  However, once she finished with the chemotherapy and moved on to the radiation treatment phase, Holly felt she was making progress.  The radiation wasn’t easy.  She said it was tough on her skin and the mouth pain was worse than what she experienced with chemotherapy. 

 

The radiation treatment finally came to a conclusion and with that, Holly Witulski moved back to Colorado.  She still goes in for CT scans, blood draws and chest x-rays, which she doesn’t enjoy, but she realizes she is free of cancer. 

 

Upon returning to Colorado, she got a new job and not long after that, met the man that became her husband. 

 

By way of advice, Holly Witulski says if one is diagnosed with cancer, they should be not be afraid to ask for help.  She adds that at all times, one needs to listen to their body, to be their own advocate, and not to live in fear.