Here is some history of Cindy's cancer journey.....this was written by Cindy in June 2014
(just before her stem cell transplant) and posted on her facebook page.
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The past seven years have seen me and my family go thru pure hell with this devil called cancer. The type of cancer I have is called Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma, non-Hodgkins. It is a rare strain, very aggressive, has a very high rate of re-occurrence, and a lousy 5 year survival rate.

Of course, the statistics aren't good, but to these I say “Bullshit”! I have a very strong warriors spirit and I will fight this until the bitter end.

I have two kids to raise (Olivia, 11 and Danny 7), and I'll be damned if they grow up without a mother.

This filthy devil called cancer has really put my family thru hell. Between non-stop appointments, tests, treatments, hospital stays, etc. ones life becomes like living on a treadmill. It becomes difficult and downright impossible to have much of a life or even make plans to do anything knowing that your plans and such could possibly be cancelled or re-scheduled, at the last minute, because of cancer. A simple fever or infection can land me in hospital for days or weeks at a time. Twice in their lifetime, my kids have had to visit me in the hospital on Christmas Day. I have also, in the past, been hospitalized on New Years, Easter, and birthdays.

#1 November 2007. Skin cancer in my throat. A really brutal battle. Six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation daily at Tom Baker Cancer centre in Calgary. Spent 56 days in Foothills Hospital, recovering from treatment. Spent Christmas day and New Years Day in hospital. Lost my ability to swallow and had to be fed by tube. Lost my voice. Couldn't make a sound. Had to “talk” by writing things down. What hurt the most was the loss of my singing voice. For the longest time, I couldn't even hum, let alone sign lullabies to my babies. The kids were 4 and 1 at the time.

#2 September 2011. After two months of pain in my right leg, a lump emerged in my groin. The Doctor did a biopsy and had tissue samples sent away. After two nerve-wracking weeks of waiting, I was told I had a type of Lymphoma. More tests were done to determine what type of lymphoma I had. It was identified as peripheral T-cell lymphoma, non-Hodgkins. Was told it was a very rare type, very aggressive with a high rate of coming back. Was told the five year survival rate was lousy.
I underwent 6 rounds of CHOP chemotherapy at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, Lethbridge. The kids were 8 and 5 at the time.

February 2012. Preparations began for me to receive a Autologous Stem Cell transplant. It was deemed a promising treatment for the lymphoma I have. First there was the stem cell harvest, known as apheresis. It is like giving blood out of one arm. Your blood is collected, stem cells are filtered out and frozen for transplant. The remaining blood is then transfused back into your other arm. Now during the entire procedure which was done 8 hours per day over two days, I could not get up from bed – not even to use the toilet or to feet myself. That's where Mr. Bedpan comes in to relieve you. The nurses had to feed me, as my arms were braced down. Stem cell transplant happened on March 27th at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, I spent three weeks in the Foothills Hospital. We were optimistic that I could get 5 to 10 years remission with this treatment – but that wasn't the case.

#3 December 2012. Lumps emerged again, this time in my armpits. Tests in December and January 2013 revealed more of the same lymphoma as last time. I was hospitalized over Christmas. January 25th I was told that I would have 3-6 months without chemo, 6 to 12 months with chemo and possibly 24 months with new medications. I was now considered terminal. So, I took the chemo route, but also used naturopathic therapy as well. I did Vitamin C by IV and Mistletoe injections. I was booked for six rounds of GDP chemo at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, but they stopped after four as it was really affecting my hearing. But with the naturopathic treatments the other side effects were considerably less (less nausea, less fatigue, and less infections). With any infections I did get, I rebounded much faster than times without naturopathic treatments. The kids were 9 and 6

#4 November 2013. Shortly after moving to Saskatchewan my lymphoma returned once again. This time it was localized in my groin and was treated with three weeks of daily radiation at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre in Saskatoon, SK. It seemed to get rid of the lumps, but it was only temporary.

#5 February 2014. Underwent Brentuximab Vedotin chemo at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre. This is a fairly new type of chemo on the market, and is very expensive (something like $30,000 per treatment). The battle has been a tough one as all the nasty side effects have me spending more time in hospital, than at home with my family. So many trips to emergency, so many weeks in hospital over the next four months. Allogeneic Stem Cell transplant booked for May, delayed to June.

After Brentuximab Vedotin typically patients are put on palliative care, and given comfort medications until the end. That is how it would have been, had we remained in Alberta.

Here in Saskatchewan my Oncologist is willing to go outside the “norm” and try a Allogeneic Stem Cell transplant. There are no other cases of Lymphoma patients in Canada going from Brentuximab Vedotin chemo into a Allogeneic Stem Cell transplant. It is my best option of survival, yet the fatality rate is high. Like I said, normally they would put me on Palliative care and keep me comfortable until I die in less than 6 months. But, that isn't what I want to do. I want to win, I want to put this into remission once and for all.

I medically require a caregiver, so my husband has taken unpaid leave from work to be by my side as I go through this stem cell transplant. I will be hospitalized for at least a month and medically required to remain in Saskatoon for the next four to six months. The next several months will be extremely hard on me and my family, but if it works – it will be worth it, I want to be there for my kids.

But, I must admit that this veteran warrior is starting to suffer some serious battle fatigue. The trouble with battling cancer is that it is in your face 24 hours a day/7 days per week with no respite. Even when it has gone into remission, you always look over your shoulder just waiting and wondering when it will return.

My kids were only 4 and 1 when cancer hit for the first time. Their normal is a life with cancer, they do not know a life without looking over your shoulder to see if cancer is back – or facing the next battle. Both kids have behavioural issues, but who wouldn't? The kids have had birthday parties, holiday trips and family gatherings cancelled because of Cancer and/or its side effects. Money that had been set aside for trips, birthday parties, renovations and so on have all been used on cancer treatments.

My kids medical, dental and vision care takes a back seat to my treatments. Fix their teeth, get them glasses, or keep me alive – it isn't fair having to make such decision and sacrifices. But, that is the daily reality that we are faced with.
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UPDATE: The Stem Cell worked. Cindy was cancer free! But, the many infections she had, took their toll on her body. One of those took her from this Earth on Valentines Day 2015.