Lymphoma Survivors

Lymphoma research over the past fifty years has done what the previous thousands of years of history failed to do: create lymphoma survivors. Prior to the 1960s, a diagnosis of lymphoma or leukemia was the same thing as a death sentence. Patients were typically hospitalized and given basic palliative care to keep them comfortable until they passed away. Unlike with solid tumor cancers, where surgery provided treatment options, there were no treatment options for patients with blood cancers.

This changed thanks to the tireless work of one man, Dr. Sidney Farber. He is considered the father of modern chemotherapy, and chemotherapy is credited with improving the survival rate of lymphoma and leukemia far beyond what has been accomplished in the same time frame among solid tumor cancers.

So where to find lymphoma survivors?

Fortunately, many lymphoma survivors volunteer their time to cancer societies and other groups to pass along their wisdom or to simply lend support to the people that are going through the same things they went through, and they serve as excellent beacons of hope for patients who feel hopeless.

Lymphoma survivors can be found at online support groups, in blogs, and among cancer survivor networks online such as the American Cancer Society's lymphoma-specific Cancer Survivors Network. Additionally, organizations like the Lymphoma Research Foundation can help match lymphoma patients with lymphoma survivors who share the same diagnosis.