There is never a good time to get a cancer diagnosis - I was 23 year college student working two jobs when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2003 and the next seven years of my life were spent on and off fighting my disease.
At the time of my diagnosis, I had begun feeling itchy and tired with random night sweats and began losing weight - however, at no point did I ever feel sick. It wasn’t until I found a lump on the side of my neck that I went to the doctor to find out I had stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma. As an active person who loves being outdoors, it was really difficult to transition to spending so much time in the hospital.
I underwent a standard chemotherapy regimen (ABVD) and was cancer-free for two and half years. But my cancer returned in 2006 and I underwent a number of different therapies, including a double stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant. No matter what I did, my lymphoma always seemed to come back.
With no other treatments available to try, my doctor from the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center recommended I enroll in clinical trials to give me access to treatments that I would otherwise not have received. Specifically, in 2010 I was treated with brentuximab vedotin, the first in a new type of targeted therapies called antibody-drug conjugates, which are designed to deliver cell-killing agents directly to cancer cells.
Since participating in the clinical trial that allowed me access to brentuximab vedotin, I’ve been cancer-free for 5 years and am so happy that I’m able to live my life and spend time with my son. I’m happy that I chose to participate in the clinical trial of brentuximab vedotin to help doctors better understand the drug and it feels great to know that my willingness to participate in that trial led to the improvement of Hodgkin lymphoma treatment for others in similar situations.
About section at bottom of story page: Dan is healthy today and working as a sales consultant. As a survivor, he’s spoken to a number of other patients who have also failed stem cell transplants and has served as a Campaign Manager for Team in Training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He’s also shared his story in radio interviews with his doctor from Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and more.
