A decade ago, I had a trip planned to one of my favorite places, Arizona, but by the time I arrived, I was exhausted just trying to get through the day. I experienced persistent night sweats, weight loss, low energy and a lingering cough. I pushed through with ibuprofen, not knowing what was causing the pain and exhaustion.

When I got home from the trip, the pain became unbearable. I broke out in a sweat, could barely breathe and called 911. After some initial blood work, the doctor told me it was pancreatitis and sent me home. But I knew my body, and I knew that wasn’t the whole picture. I went back to the hospital and spent the next eight days undergoing test after test.

Eventually, my primary care doctor called with a diagnosis that changed my life: Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, dif

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