From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Bahamian cancer survivor recounts journey with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
By The Councellors
Apr 8, 2014 - 1:21:57 AM
Caption: Cancer survivor, Joyce Brennen, 26, recounts her journey with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was diagnosed at the age of 18 after experiencing rapid weight loss and pain in her leg. Brennen is now encouraging Bahamians to get healthy and take part in Atlantic Medical’s 16th annual Fun Walk. (Photo: Terrance Strachan)
|
Joyce
Brennen Encourages Bahamians To Get Healthy, Join Her In Atlantic Medical Fun Walk
While most
18-year-olds were getting ready for college, buying their first cars or moving
out of their parents’ home, Joyce Brennen was readying herself for the biggest
fight of her life – her battle with cancer.
Her
cancer journey began in 2006 when she started experiencing pain in her leg.
She
admits she dismissed the pain initially, but eventually settled on seeking
medical help.
“When I
went to the doctors they told me it was growing pains because I’m pretty tall,”
says Joyce who stands at 5’11”.
“They
told me I’m just growing and there’s nothing to be worried about. But, then it
got worse and I started to walk with a limp.”
She
then started losing weight rapidly.
Still
in pain, much thinner and unconvinced that she was merely experiencing growing
pains, Joyce went to several more doctors who ordered a battery of tests.
“I had
blood tests done, I had a bone marrow biopsy and still nothing came back saying
that anything was wrong. Then I got a lymph node biopsy and that’s how they
found out that I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” says the now 26-year-old. “Apparently
one of my lymph nodes was swollen and resting on a nerve in my groin, so that
was causing me to have pain in my leg.”
Hodgkin’s
is a cancer of lymph tissue. It causes fatigue, weight loss that cannot be
explained, soaking night sweats and swollen glands among many other symptoms.
Joyce
said when she found out she had cancer she “cried like a baby.”
“But,
the doctor reassured me that Hodgkin’s lymphoma – if you have cancer – is one
of the better ones to have because it has a high cure rate. So, that made me
feel a little better. My mother is a God fearing woman, so she said we’ll just
pray about it and it’ll be ok, so she kept me strong.”
Joyce
said because her family does not have a history of cancer, her diagnosis came
as a shock to everyone.
“I was
young and I was afraid. I could see that it took a toll on [my mother] and my
dad but they kept strong and they were my pillars of strength.”
She
later underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy.
“My
hair thinned, I didn’t lose all of my hair, the treatments made me feel
lethargic, but no serious nausea and vomiting like a lot of people experience.
I had one round of chemo that was really bad; it knocked me out for a week; I
was throwing up constantly and had no energy whatsoever,” she said.
Today,
Joyce says she is cured, but acknowledged that it is possible it may come back
later as something else.
“But I’m hoping for the best that that’s not
going to happen,” she said.
Joyce,
who has completely overhauled her lifestyle to exclude processed foods and
incorporate an exercise routine, is now hoping to encourage younger people to
take their health seriously.
“It’s
important to [get checked out]. I was one of those people who didn’t go to the
doctor; I’d say nothing is wrong with me, I’m healthy, but it’s really
important to get those annual physicals and when you reach the age to get those
pap smears and mammograms. It’s really important because cancer has no age, it
doesn’t disregard young people. There are people as young as five or four and some
are born with cancer. You have to be concerned about your health,” she said.
On
Saturday, April 12 Joyce will take part in Atlantic Medical’s 16th
annual Fun Walk and she wants others to follow her lead, noting that it’s for a
good cause.
All of
the proceeds from Atlantic Medical’s Fun Walk goes to the Cancer Society of The
Bahamas and the Bahamas Diabetic Association.
“Here
in The Bahamas there are two things we are plagued with. I’m sure that everyone
knows someone who has been affected by cancer or diabetes in some way. If it’s
not in your family you know someone, work with someone,” says Joyce whose best
friend has Type 1 diabetes.
“For
all proceeds to go to the Cancer Society and Diabetic Association it’s great
for a corporate entity to do something like that. Like I said, the treatment
isn’t cheap, so for people who can’t afford it themselves they can go to the
Cancer Caring Centre and they can have their treatment there. It’s an excellent
thing.”
Joyce
is also a member of the Cancer Society’s Freedom Survivors group, which offers
support to younger individuals who have been either directly or indirectly
affected by cancer. It’s her way of encouraging others facing a cancer
diagnosis.
The Fun
Walk takes place on April 12 at 6:30 a.m. starting at Montagu Beach.
To
register, visit Atlantic House on the fifth floor on Collins Avenue and Second
Terrace, Centerville between 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The cost is $20 for adults
and $10 for children.
Registration
is not allowed on the day of the event.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com -