Carly Stafford Dixon discusses her lymphoma journey, restoration with CAR T remedy, and mission to boost help for younger adults with most cancers: Alexandra – inventory.adobe.com.
When Carly Stafford Dixon started feeling unusually out of breath simply months after her marriage ceremony, she by no means anticipated it could result in a lymphoma prognosis. After a CT scan revealed a big mass in her chest, the 30-year-old counselor from Nashville was recognized with major mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, a uncommon and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Carly rapidly started chemotherapy and later obtained CAR T-cell remedy, which introduced her into remission by summer season 2023. Alongside remedy, she grappled with challenges like fertility considerations and job safety — however discovered energy in her household, mates, and group. Her journey led her to the Lymphoma Analysis Basis, the place she discovered help and, finally, a fundraising mission.
Simply months after finishing remedy, Carly ran a half marathon to boost cash for the Lymphoma Analysis Basis, changing into its prime fundraiser.
Now cancer-free, she displays on the realities of survivorship, the continued want for help after remission and the significance of elevating consciousness for adolescents and younger adults (AYA) with most cancers — a gaggle she says is just too usually ignored in public discourse and care assets.
CURE: Why is it vital to boost consciousness about AYA most cancers, and what are some misconceptions about it?
Stafford Dixon: I believe it is vital to boost consciousness about AYA most cancers as a result of usually, when most cancers is portrayed within the media — whether or not in films, TV reveals or books — you usually see it as a tragic sickness affecting a younger little one, or somebody maybe over the age of fifty. The [AYA] age group, nonetheless, is de facto underrepresented in our understanding of who most cancers can have an effect on, and that is everybody, no matter age.
It’s important that everybody feels supported all through their whole expertise, from prognosis to remedy and hopefully to survivorship. Ideally, if we are able to increase consciousness about AYA most cancers, then there may probably be extra assets obtainable, though the Lymphoma Analysis Basis already has an abundance of fantastic assets. I believe that with better consciousness, individuals might be directed to those invaluable assets earlier and perceive that they aren’t alone.
How did your help methods — whether or not it’s your loved ones, mates or assets — aid you throughout remedy and survivorship?
I couldn’t be extra grateful for my help system. I’ve two dad and mom and two superb sisters, together with two superb brothers-in-law and a husband. He and I had gotten married two months earlier than my most cancers prognosis. I additionally [have a] nice group of girlfriends who reside all around the nation and an excellent group of mates in Nashville, the place I reside.
As soon as we discovered the schedule for my chemo therapies — six periods of R-EPOCH, a standard course of chemotherapy for sufferers with this sort of most cancers — my dad and mom created a Google Calendar and shared it with my sisters and all of my mates, as a result of the toughest days of these three-week cycles are those while you’re not within the hospital.
They made positive that for each in-between interval, I had somebody there, staying with me for every week or two and caring for me. 9 of my finest mates from undergrad and grad faculty came visiting. My sisters got here. My dad and mom got here usually. I really feel very, very lucky that my household and mates had been ready to do that; my household ensured I used to be by no means alone.
How has survivorship formed your outlook on life?
I [initially misunderstood] survivorship, considering that when you are declared in remission, you are utterly tremendous, like all issues are solved and you may simply leap proper again into life. That was so removed from the reality. It is felt slightly bit like medical “Whack-a-Mole.” I believe you are simply a lot extra conscious of your physique and in tune with it. And naturally, you’ve a ton of checkups.
So, I really feel extremely fortunate to have survived, and I am so grateful to medical science and my group. However survivorship could be lonely. I believe an enormous false impression for everybody is similar one I had: that when you are in remission, you are higher. However usually, the day you are declared in remission is while you really feel the sickest, as a result of all of the remedy has collected in your physique. I have a tendency to consider my 20s and 30s now, particularly the final 5 years, as two completely different eras: BC, like earlier than most cancers, and AC, after most cancers. Clearly, you study loads. You achieve lots of information about your self, lots of self-awareness, and also you study loads about what’s vital to you in life.
What recommendation would you give for newly recognized AYA sufferers with most cancers?
My piece of recommendation can be to acknowledge that, when you’re in remission, that’s such an enormous factor to have fun, however be certain that your care companions know that you simply’re nonetheless going to want help. You are still going to be drained, and in case you are open to remedy and have not began, that could be a nice time to begin, as a result of, in the course of the survivor journey, you’ll be able to oftentimes really feel like everybody’s forgotten about you.
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