My name is Lillie Cox-Davis and I am a Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer Survivor. I was diagnosed in 2010 at 21 years old. It all started with a swollen knot in my neck, It was there for a few months and I thought nothing of it because it didn't hurt or wasn't bothering me. After being pestered by family I finally decided to go to the doctor and get it checked out, they ran many test and everything came back negative. The doctor suggested I allow them to do a biopsy for further testing, I agreed, the results came back that I had Hodgkin Lymphoma. I was shocked and afraid because I really didn't think it was that serious. I had so many questions Am I going to die? How sick will these treatments make me? Will I need radiation? What about my children? I was a Mother to two small children, one of which was only 9 months. I went to Mercy Hospital and had a port put in my chest for the chemotherapy and was told I couldn't pick my baby up for two weeks until my port healed. That was hard for me because I loved carrying my baby around and holding him as I fed him that was how we bonded. Two weeks later I started receiving my treatments which would become 12 rounds of chemo over a period of 5 months. After those treatments I thought everything was fine and I was finally cured because after the Doctors at Mercy Hospital gave me a scan they never said anything else. About a year later I decided to call and ask for my medical records just to find out I was never cured. The Cancer had spread from my neck to my chest and my side. I was so upset and no longer wanted to receive any treatments at Mercy so they referred me to Rush University Medical Center. In 2012 I started my treatments at Rush which was the best decision I ever made. The doctors were excellent and laid everything out for me from beginning to end. I receive 6 chemo treatments and then was told I would need a Stem Cell Transplant and would have to stay in the hospital for a month. Stem Cell Transplants were still fairly new in the United States but I was reassured that it was what I needed to have. This was a lot to take in I was very sad, I had never been away from my children for more than a day and now I would have to be away from them for a month because my immune system would be too low to have children around. The first week in the hospital I got my stem cells removed and got an extensive chemo treatment. It was twice a day for 7 days, I was so weak from the medication that I lost about 10 pounds, lost all taste, lost color (my skin turned really dark), and began to lose my hair. I got my stem cells put back in and the next three weeks in the hospital were to build my immune system back up, at least to the point where I could go home. After a long month I was finally able to go home and see my children again. Following my hospital release I had to see the doctor every three months for one year to get CT Scans to make sure the cancer was gone. For the next two years I would see the doctor every six months and once a year after that. I was told that I may not be able to have children but in November 2014 I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Through all of this I continued to work a full time job, and still did my everyday motherly duties. I always kept my upbeat attitude and a lot of people never knew I was going through chemo because my work ethic never changed. It is now September 2017 and it has been 5 years since I've been cancer free, I would like to thank God and I am grateful for the Staff at Rush Hospital because they always made sure I was doing great and that they were doing all they could for me. I am grateful for my family and friends that were there to support me in every way possible. This has been a long journey and I had so much help and support that I would love to give some help and support to other cancer patients that is why I decided to take donations for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.