Erin Cummings is still going strong despite being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 1972.  At age 15, she noticed a lump on her throat and another on her chest.  That led to a diagnosis of Stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma.  She was shocked at her diagnosis but initially had trouble putting into perspective just what she was up against because she cancer was something suffered by old people.  Even though she achieved survivorship, she still deals with residual side effects from her treatment regimen.  Nonetheless, Erin has gone on to compete in eight marathons and has established a nonprofit which seeks to aid long-term survivors who also deal with the late effects of cancer treatment.

 

Erin Cummings of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts was a freshman in high school when she saw that she had a lump on her throat and on her chest.  She didn’t think much of them until her sister saw them and brought it to the attention of their mother.  Erin was taken to a nearby hospital and a week later, she was diagnosed with Stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma.  She said she benefitted from not knowing much about cancer because she thought it was something by old people and wouldn’t pose a problem for her.

 

This was in 1972, and available treatment options were much different than those available today.  Those options included cobalt radiation treatment, surgery, and a new protocol still considered to be in an experimental phase called chemotherapy.  Erin’s parents didn’t want her having anything to do with chemotherapy and temporarily considered taking her to Mexico to be treated with laetrile.

 

Erin underwent a lymphangiogram to determine the exact location of the cancer.  After that came full body radiation, surgery to remove her appendix and a form of chemo called MOP chemotherapy.

 

She said the side effects of the radiation and the chemotherapy were nasty, but there was also a difficult emotion piece.  Erin said in those days, people thought that cancer was contagious.  As a result, her friends were told by their parents to neither touch her nor get near her.  This combined with Erin being a teenager made her demoralizing cancer experience ever worse.

 

However, Erin Cummings got through the treatment and became cancer-free five years later, in 1977.  At the ten-year mark, she decided it was time to take control of her body, trained for, and eventually ran in her first marathon.  Before she concluded her competitive running, Erin was in eight marathons in Boston and New York City.

 

Because she is still encountering the late effects of her cancer treatment and has met others in the same position, Erin established Hodgkin International, a nonprofit which provides help to people around the globe experiencing similar late effects.

 

Additional Resources:

 

Support Group:

 

Hodgkin International: https://www.hodgkinsinternational.org