“Other than a shot once a month, I’m in no pain,“ Judi says. “Instead, I’ve already lived three years longer than I thought I would at the beginning of this diagnosis. I’m happy to be alive and feeling well, and one day, I hope to ring that Victory Bell at Roswell Park.”
“It’s so easy, I feel like I’m getting away with something.” That’s how Nella Smolinksi describes the last three years of treatment with an immunotherapy drug to control her rare form of Hodgkin lymphoma.
On June 23, 2019, Ted Rung crossed the Ride for Roswell finish line, completing the 100-mile route. No small feat for a 31-year-old who had just fought cancer for the third time.
Wendy already knew how hard it is to fight cancer: She was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly six years ago. Although she knew she was getting the best care possible, she was still nervous and scared about going through treatment a second time and having to get a bone marrow transplant.
Single dad Chris Bosley is currently in his second monthlong stay at Roswell Park for treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). During his first hospitalization, back in December, he saw his parents every day and, best of all, his son three times a week.
It was the middle of May. My son and his wife had just had their first baby — my first grandchild — on Mother's Day. I hadn’t been feeling well and got dizzy every time I went to stand up.
"They said I wasn't a candidate for surgery, and that I needed three more months of chemo, which I couldn't tolerate. They made me feel like I wouldn’t live very long. When I asked what I should do, they told me I should call hospice."
Then Romaine’s primary doctor sent her to Roswell Park for a second opinion.
Genetic mutations passed down from generation to generation in this group are responsible for higher-than-average rates of cancer. Learn how a mother and daughter are managing their risk.