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193: Cortney Stevens survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma | adriamycin | bleomycin | vinblastine | dacarbazine | lupron
      In 2018, an avid runner, Cortney Stevens suddenly started feeling unusually tired and unusually itchy.  Seeking medical attention, the first doctor she went to said she had a six-inch mediastinal mass that went from her left lung to her clavicle, but that it wasn’t cancer.  However, Cortney sought a second opinion, and after further testing, she was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  She was put on a chemotherapy regimen of adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine, plus external beam radiation.  Cortney cycles because she can no longer run competitively, and she can no longer have children, but she has achieved survivorship.   Cortney was accustomed to running long distances and competing in half marathons, but in August 2018, she began to feel extremely tired all the time.  She would feel so fatigued that she would fall asleep at work.  In addition, she would feel so itchy that she would scratch the itch until she bled.  Because she was training for a half marathon, she attributed her fatigue to her training.  But then she suffered a burning sensation anytime she as much took a sip of alcohol.  She decided it time to seek medical attention when there was pain in her left arm.  It became discolored, was hot to the touch and swelled to approximately twice the size of her right arm.   A six-inch mediastinal mass was discovered.  It extended from her left lung to her clavicle.  A biopsy was taken of a lymph node in her neck and her oncologist said cancer was not indicated, that instead the problem was likely a soft tissue disorder.  However, Cortney’s family was skeptical.  She switched hospitals, and when more extensive tests were conducted, she was told she had Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma.   Cortney was placed on a six-month chemotherapy regimen.  Known commonly as ABVD chemo, it consisted of adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine.  She also had an on-body injector of Neulasta after each round of chemo.  With every other chemotherapy round, she was given a shot of Lupron in an attempt to preserve her fertility. Once the chemo was completed, residual activity was detected in the mass in her chest.  As a result, she needed 20 rounds of external beam radiation.  The radiation was effective, and in 2019, Cortney Stevens was told there was no evidence of disease.   A byproduct of chemotherapy, Cortney felt neuropathy in her hands and feet.  The neuropathy in her hands went away, but it remained in her feet, leaving them numb at times.  That is why she can no longer run competitively.  However, she does cycle vigorously on her stationary bike.  Cortney and her husband learned the Lupron was not effective, and as a result, she will not be able to bear children.  That said, she still thinks of herself as a mom to her nieces, nephews, her two dogs and a cat.   Additional Resources:   Additional Resources:   Cortney’s website:   https://wwwcortneystevensbooks.com   Cortney’s book:   “Surviving Chaos,” a cautionary tale about what happens when your world implodes   It’s available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, plus her publisher,   https://wwwhuntsvillsindependent.com/product-page/surviving-chaos                        
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