Adrienne's TNT Speech

Last summer, Adrienne gave a speech to people considering joining Team In Training. This speech gives a good recap of her Hodgkin's Disease and treatment up to that point. I thought you might want to read it.

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Hi, my name is Adrienne, I’m going to be 17 in a couple of months, and I’ve had Hodgkin’s disease for more than half my life.

I was first diagnosed when I was 9 after I had been itching and scratching until I bled for more than a year. A biopsy of a lump at the base of my neck confirmed that I had cancer. I didn’t really understand what that meant so I wasn’t really afraid. My treatment included a year of chemotherapy and radiation, which went pretty smoothly. I actually liked being bald but it bothered me when kids stared at me because I looked different and when I didn’t have the energy to play with the kids on the playground.

Amazingly, almost four years later, I relapsed, just days before September 11. I was 14 and getting ready to start high school, and this time, I understood what it meant to have cancer. My doctor figured I had some cancer cells left after my first treatment in 1996 and 1997 that didn’t grow for a few years until I had pneumonia, and then they started to grow very quickly. The standard treatment for someone in my situation was an autologous bone marrow transplant using my own cells. Before the transplant, I had chemo to get me back into remission but it destroyed my platelets and I almost bled to death one morning, the closest I’ve ever come to dying.

I did quite well through the transplant considering the risks, except for an incident where the lung tissues became inflamed, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe. They treated me with prednisone which temporarily distorted my appearance, but eventually my body returned to normal. My immune system didn’t recover as planned, meaning that I spent 6 months in isolation and out of school. Finally, I was able to begin my sophomore year in high school.

Just a few weeks after school started and 9 months after my transplant, my cancer returned again. This time, I was afraid of dying. The first doctor we talked with told me I couldn’t have another transplant and made it sound like there wasn’t much more they could do. My mom found out that every Hodgkin’s disease patient at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital who relapsed after a transplant had died. She talked to doctors at other hospitals did a lot of research on the Internet, and found out that my chances of a cure were less than 10 percent. Then, my doctor told us about a new type of less toxic bone marrow transplant but it required a related donor. I have one brother and the chance of him being a match was only 1-in-4, but it turned out he was. We were all really excited.

I had my second transplant in February, 2003, at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where they had done quite a few of these new procedures. They had told us that people usually have this done on an outpatient basis, but I was more sick than they expected and spent a month in the hospital. Just when I started to feel better, I got graft vs. host disease, which is where the donor’s immune system attacks the patient.

To this day, I remain cancer free but I have to live with long term affects from my treatment. I have restrictive lung disease from my first transplant, renal insufficiency from all the drugs I’ve received, and heart damage from the chemo I got during my first round of treatment when I was 9. Most days, I don’t notice that I’m any different from other people who haven’t had cancer treatment. Other days, I worry about what the future might bring. I don’t take anything in my life for granted.

One of the chemos I got before the second transplant caused neuropathy, which destroys the peripheral nerves. In my case, it attacked my feet and lower legs so I was in excruciating pain. I couldn’t walk and I was so weak that I couldn’t get up on my own after many falls. I started physical therapy with someone who worked with oncology and transplant patients, and she helped me build my strength and learn to walk again. I consider learning to walk again the biggest accomplishment of my life. This experience led me to TNT because, even though I could get around, I still didn’t walk like a normal person.

In August, 2003, I joined the Silicon Valley Walk Team with Team In Training. I thought a trip to Honolulu sounded nice and the fundraising sounded okay too, so my mom and I joined the team. I was overwhelmed by the fundraising support I got from people who knew what I’d been through, and we raised over $24,000 our first season. Mostly, I was amazed by the wonderful group of people who participate in TNT. My coaches have been right there with me through the entire experience and they not only helped me to walk again, they helped me complete the Honolulu marathon, 26.2 miles, not bad for someone who couldn’t even walk 9 months before.

I recently completed the Mayor’s Midnight Sun marathon in Anchorage, and I have my schedule filled with TNT and marathons for the next year. When I first got involved, I was thinking about what TNT could do for me. Now, I’m thinking about what I can do for TNT and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I’m an honoree for our team and I try to help other honorees and participants wherever I can. I’m also a First Connection volunteer and I provide support to teenagers who are newly diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma. And, I’m going to be a mentor this season to help people with both training and fundraising.

TNT is a fantastic organization and the great people will help you achieve your goals, whatever they are. Whether you’re looking to become more fit, if you’ve always wanted to complete an endurance event, or if you have a personal connection to the cause because you have a friend or loved one who has been affected by leukemia or lymphoma. In the last year, 6 children that I’ve met through my treatment have died. Their diseases were too aggressive and good treatments just weren’t available. I hope you’ll join me to raise money to find a cure for blood related cancers. You have a chance to make a difference in so many lives. Go Team!