I often joke and say, “I’m 21 going on 71, or so it feels. I’ve been through more than many elderly people have. ” But sometimes, it’s not a joke at all. It’s how I feel, especially since my doctors say that my body is that of an old woman’s. However, I refuse to let my cancer stop me; here is the story of my battle with lymphoma.
My story
My story started when I was 11 months old. I was diagnosed with severe asthma, and I progressively got worse. Worse to the point that I could no longer walk up a flight of stairs without my mom carrying me. Little did we know, it was not asthma but a failing heart. I was born with a rare heart disease called restrictive cardiomyopathy.
I was in heart failure at the age of 10 and needed a new heart to survive. Unable to go home, I spent Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day in the hospital, waiting for my new heart.