I tried and failed a stem cell transplant. Twice. Could this be a good thing?

Facing stage IV cancer, I was desperate to get my stories out for the world before I was no longer able to do so. While I have been able to convey many of my recollections in English, my ability to illustrate the memories was woefully inadequate until I began creating with generative AI.

Sitting in the transplant rehab center swapping stories about hazardous waste.

I have wrapped up Phase 1 of treatment (chemo-immunotherapy). I feel great. So what did I do with my new found energy? I crunched the numbers, of course.

I have three wigs all of which have a distinctly different vibe. I might need to keep a log as to which wig I wear in front of which customers to avoid confusing them. As for my colleagues, they seem to be rolling with my endless costume changes. They understand that with the lemons I’ve been given, I’m just making a little lemonade.

I look at the overall survival rates of less than five years, and I think “Oh, I can beat that.” Then I pause to contemplate the inequities that makes that thought likely to be true.

Mantle cell lymphoma is extremely rare, has a short remission cycle, and a median overall survival rate of four to five years. I’m undergoing an aggressive therapy known as the Nordic Regimen. After the first treatment, I felt like a failure.

Spending six months cleaning up the area around Kingsford was simply trading one exposure of PAHs for another. I don’t choose to see it that way.

The question as to whether chronic exposure to permanent hair dye is linked to certain types non-Hodgkin lymphoma remains unanswered, though some studies indicate there may be an increased risk, especially for women who began using dye prior to 1980 or used darker colors.

I can’t imagine finding the origin story for the mantle cell lymphoma that moves freely through my blood and bone marrow. That doesn’t stop my insatiable curiosity from trying.

Data for cancer rates in St. Louis Park only go back as far as 1988. What about those of us who moved away earlier?

A short history of the site and PAHs.

At 24, I stood my ground while digging into PCB-contaminated soil.