My name is Lauren, I’m 37 and live in Bay Area, California. I was diagnosed with stage 4 FL in 2026.
I work in administrative support for a CPA firm. I have a little dog named George, who is essentially my child and means absolutely everything to me. He pretty much runs my life — haha.
I was recently proposed to, so I’m now engaged to my partner, Michael. We’ve decided to wait until after my treatment to get married so that we can fully focus on my health.
I’m incredibly fortunate to have such a strong support system. My mom has been by my side through almost every appointment, and my friends and family have been amazing throughout this entire journey.
I found out I had stage four follicular lymphoma a few weeks before my 37th birthday. It was definitely a shock to hear, especially since I didn’t have many symptoms aside from some swollen lymph nodes. That is ultimately what led to my diagnosis.
Since then, I’ve had multiple biopsies and scans that confirmed I have advanced stage 4 follicular lymphoma. As my doctors put it, I “lit up like a Christmas tree” on my PET scan, and the cancer is widespread.
Chemotherapy is the next step for me, as the watch-and-wait approach unfortunately was not an option. I have a large mass in the centre of my chest that was close to causing life-threatening complications and needed to be treated right away.
It’s still hard to believe that without noticing those lymph nodes, I would have no idea something serious was going on.
Since follicular lymphoma is lifelong, and there is no cure, I am hopeful research will bring better treatment options outside of chemotherapy. I personally don’t have a choice as I need to receive treatment as soon as possible, but I have heard that thanks to research follicular lymphoma is moving away from chemo. Chemo is so aggressive on the body, but it is needed in certain situations like mine.
I’ve had a lot of people tell me to stay strong. I’d like to think I’m staying strong, but sometimes it’s OK to let go and have days where you’re not strong and you can let it all out. We are only human after all. Additionally, if you feel something is not right with your body, please don’t hesitate to get checked out. You never know when something could be going on internally even if you look OK on the outside.
