Hi
My name is Linda but most people I know call me Lin. I live in South Australia.
I am 75 years old and had my first experience of cancer around 6 years ago, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, I had all the usual treatments chemo etc. and was lucky enough to go into remission for several years.
About a year ago I was diagnosed again with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, this time in a more aggressive form.
I had chemo for a while and then had Stem Cell Therapy using cells that were collected when I had my first cancer experience.
After the Stem Cell therapy, I was lucky and was accepted on a trial at Peter Mac Cancer Centre and started the process for CAR T Cell Therapy, It was not a walk in the park but I am very grateful that at the end of it my Pet Scan showed I was in remission.
I was then invited to take part in a research study that used a therapy (Epcoritamab) that seeks the cells (DNA) in the blood that would make it more likely that the cancer would return and attempt to destroy them.
The only downside for me is that to take part in this research I need to fly to Melbourne every 2 weeks (8 fortnightly return trips) to receive the treatment and the cost is not funded, becoming quite a costly exercise.
This has been a great opportunity for me and if successful could be a life changer for many patients with cancer, which would be very exciting.
