"Why Me?" -- Part II

I'm an outlier. Of all the patients diagnosed in 1990 with Stage III follicular lymphoma, I'm one of a small minority who are still kickin'. Why me?

Today I am not asking "What in the grand plan of the divine explains my extraordinary survivorship?" Rather, I'm asking "What is it about my physical body and/or my particular cancer that I've had a much-better-than-average response to the treatments?"  

When speaking recently with the researcher who treated me at Stanford in 1993 and 1994, he told me he'd like to know, too.

The idea seems so obvious: Researchers should look at the long-term survivors and find out what they have in common. Maybe doing so will uncover things that can help other patients. Maybe we can find out how to make my extraordinary survival the norm for people with my type of cancer.

Unfortunately, finding out why something works is not as easy as it might sound.

Still, I'm going to make a list of things about me that might be useful to send to my oncologists. Who knows? It may help someone one day. 

Comments

[Lisa Escaloni]

Be sure to include in your list your wonderful attributes like a positive attitude, medical background, supportive family, wanting to raise your children into adulthood (grandchildren someday!), as well as your willingness to help others.

[Polly Leshan]

I am grateful it IS you, and I hope you go right on being a healthy survivor.

[Finn]

This is a fascinating area that deserves more research. My oncologist told me that women with BRCA mutations--which makes us far more likely than most women to develop ovarian cancer--tend to survive longer after diagnosis, but no one knows why.

[Jonnie Hickman]

I think that is a wonderful idea. I have signed up to donate my body to Indiana University for research when I'm gone. I'm about 9 months from the estimated time line that I was given at diagnosis and it has been a mixed blessing. I agree with Lisa's comment about the positive attitude. The mind/body connection is key. You have an unhealthy mind....your body doesn't have a chance. Thank You!