The day we had all been waiting for....Results

20th March, 2012, 

Yep, so this was "the day" that we had all been waiting for. The day Dr Blood would give us answers. In the morning, Chris called the lab to check if the biopsy results were in. The lab told Chris that the ‘preliminary report was in’. Chris questioned if she should wait or keep her apt with the Dr that afternoon. Chris was toldl “I suggest you do”. OMG, we both weren't expecting that they would actually have the results...Ok, breath, we can handle this.

2.30pm, Chris, Susie & myself were all in Dr Blood's office. He chatted a little at the start & seemed to prolong telling us, until he finally confirmed that Chris had Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage 2B. We quietly sat & listened to him talk about treatment, including chemotherapy & added that she should think about undergoing a clinical trial that they were currently running. He advised that Chris will have to have more tests, in order to confirm  her staging & at that time, told us that there was no way we could travel. Treatment must start ASAP & again we were all knocked for a six, was this for real. It's funny how it takes time to really sink in. We all walked out, holding ourselves together, pretty well under the circumstances. Dr blood told us that this was the most treatable type of cancer & I guess, that was what we tried to keep in mind.

So what is Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer of abnormal lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that infiltrates and affects the lymph nodes.

Lymph tissues are connected throughout the body, providing a route for cancerous lymphocytes to travel.

As a result, Hodgkin lymphoma often spreads from one lymph node to another throughout the body.

What differentiates Hodgkins lymphoma is the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells in the cancerous tissue. The presence of these cells, detectable only through an open biopsy, is the defining characteristic of Hodgkins disease, as opposed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma.