I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma in early March of 2023.
Three weeks before the diagnosis, I had a hospital procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome, which had caused blood clots in my right arm, resulting in a rib resection operation. Three weeks into my recovery, I was not improving, and on 6 March, I became extremely ill, and I knew something was wrong. By chance, my mother happened to drop by and saw how bad I looked and took me straight to the ER department of Wollongong hospital. After a few blood tests and scans, I was woken to be informed that they thought I had Lymphoma. I spent a further three weeks in hospital and after three biopsies, as well as catching Covid, they determined I had Stage Three DLBCL.
Looking back, I had all the symptoms of cancer prior to diagnosis, but I blindly did not recognise them for what they were. Night sweats, lethargy, digestion issues and weight loss were my main symptoms.
I had my first chemo treatment in hospital before being released to go home. I was then required to have ongoing chemo as an outpatient at the Illawarra cancer clinic at Wollongong Hospital. My treatment consisted of three consecutive days every fortnight for a total of six treatments. I would walk myself to and from the hospital for chemotherapy. The chemotherapy made me very anaemic, in which I required four blood transfusions over the course of my treatment.
After about three weeks of treatment, I began to lose my hair, so to soften the impact on my daughters, who are 9 and 7, I got them to help shave my hair. I remained positive and mentally strong during the whole process, having only a few moments of weakness. My friends and family were a tremendous support through my ordeal, and my work colleagues and gym community managed to raise a massive $40, 000 to help aid my journey, which I am forever grateful for.
My final PET scan post-treatment showed signs that the lymphoma may still be present, but after a further biopsy, my amazing Doc Professor Cartwright called to tell me the great news that no lymphoma was detected in the removed lymph node. I’m a pretty tough bloke, but telling my daughters that I no longer have cancer brought a tear to my eye.
I am now in my recovery phase post-chemo; I am back training and rebuilding my health. I still have days of excessive fatigue, but that is improving week by week. My next checkup will be in March of 2024.
The advice I would give to anyone who has recently been diagnosed with lymphoma is to stay positive and stay strong. Lean on your support crew when you need to, but tackle the challenge head-on. It’s a hard pill to swallow being told you have cancer, but you can’t click your fingers and make it go away, so you’ve got to fight and I truly believe your mindset is 95% of the battle.
I’ve had great correspondence with Lymphoma Australia through social media. When I was asked to share my story, I thought that if I could create greater awareness of lymphoma and at least help or inspire one person to stay strong in their battle with the Big C, it’s the least I could do!
Ty has created an amazing video that goes in-depth into his lymphoma journey and focuses on the signs and symptoms he initially overlooked. A must watch!
