Cancer sucks...

Our friend Rulon Nixon is very sick. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma about three years ago. He had a few rounds of chemo-therapy but it caused him to have renal failure. He then started taking a pill form of chemo and has been doing very well. He had a set back this past month. He has experienced fatigue and swollen lymph nodes among other things. Tests showed he now has cancer cells in his bone marrow. His condition is considered grave.

Last week I went to the hospital to visit Billie, I just wanted to give her a hug. I also got to see Rulon for a few minutes. I cried as I walked down the hall to leave. It's a very helpless feeling not knowing what to do. 

I saw Life Flight take off, and I felt sad. There are some things I just don't understand.

Since then Rulon has had an aggressive round of chemo and is at home. He is now experiencing severe side effects and barely has the strength to get out of bed. My dear friend Billie is doing her best to take care of him. She is exhausted. Rulon and Billie's daughters are helping as much as they can, but most of the care he needs can only be given by his sweet wife. 

I talked to Billie last night and she is discouraged and trying to hold on to the hope he will get better. 

We are praying Rulon can fight this battle, and that they will be able to feel all the love and prayers that are coming their way.

Cancer really sucks...

What is non-Hodgkin lymphoma?

Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about how cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. Lymphocytes are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow). These will be described in more detail further on.

Some other types of cancer – lung or colon cancers, for example – can spread to lymph tissue such as the lymph nodes. But cancers that start in these places and then spread to the lymph tissue are not lymphomas. 

The main types of lymphomas are:

• Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, or Hodgkin’s disease), which is named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, who first described it
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma