Bar hopping for a cause.
Light Up the Night with your glow in the dark and light up apparel, bar hopping in the beautiful Savannah, GA while helping in the fight to end blood cancers.
7:00pm - 8:00pm
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the largest nonprofit funder of leading-edge research for every type of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and other rare types of blood cancers. Learn more about LLS
HAVE A DRINK WITH THE HONORED HERO
I was a twenty-two-year-old student at Clarkson University in November 2018. It started one night when my body had major difficulty swallowing food. From there I had quickly developed vision issues, stomach ulcers, rapid weight loss, swollen and tender lymph nodes, night sweats, extreme sensitivity to alcohol, excessive fatigue, and pain in just about my entire upper body. It seemed that nobody believed me when I told them something was wrong. With each doctor I saw, I was mis-diagnosed with something mild or told that I’m just stressed.
When I was finally home at the end of the semester, I made an appointment with my primary care provider, who was still not sure about my symptoms and was reluctant to run a CT scan. Thankfully, we convinced them otherwise. Afterward, an oncologist went through the scans with me, revealing a mass the size of a baseball in my chest, along with others of various sizes all over my upper body. I underwent nodal and bone marrow biopsies, and on January 8th, 2019, I was told the news that I have Stage 2B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Nodular Sclerosis.
From there, my family and I had decided to seek treatment at the Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester, NY, about 2 hours from where we lived. I endured four rounds of experimental chemotherapy over the next 5 months, with each round bringing on a new side effect. Hair loss, nausea, restlessness, neuropathy, fatigue, and gastrointestinal issues plagued me for months. At a certain point, I’d get sick from anxiety at treatment even before being administered any medicine! Thankfully on July 23rd, I had a clean scan and was determined to be in remission. The following month, I was able to return to school to finish my degree and graduate.
It’s taken a great deal of time to begin to feel somewhat normal again, but I’m gracious for the fact that things could have been so much worse. I met and befriended people who are no longer with us, and still I often wonder why I was so lucky. Since then, I’ve wanted to help others going through similar situations and be present in the community of those impacted by cancer, especially blood cancers. Just because you have or have had cancer does not mean that you can’t live an extraordinary life.
I’m grateful to be this year’s Light The Night Honored Hero for LLS of Savannah/Southeast Georgia and to bring light to the darkness of cancer with you!
Be More's mission is to find, support, and elevate great leaders. We believe that great leadership is in short supply these days. We endeavor to support leaders that exhibit the qualities of Empathy, Integrity, Vision, and Resilience, while being Inspiring, Endearing, and Empowering. We believe that aiding LLS will enable leaders affected by blood cancers to be empowered to grow and succeed.
Yes, it's okay to send me text messages including confirmations, changes, and updates. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. View our terms of service & privacy policy.
