Hello 
I’m Greek-American and moved to Brighton UK in 2002 to complete an MA degree. 18 years later and I’m still here!
I was diagnosed with Burkitts high grade non Hodgkins lymphoma in June 2020. I initially got ill with a fever in April 2020 and as a result I lost my appetite. In May 2020 I began to experience stomach pain abs bloating which gradually became severe. My GP advised me that I had IBS but as the symptoms only got worse and my abdominal pain became unbearable my partner drove me to the hospital where I was admitted and had a series of medical tests. A CT scan and an endoscopy/biopsy eventually led to my diagnosis - Burkitts in my abdomen. Although high grade it thankfully hadn’t spread in any other part of my body.
I was admitted for 4 months and had 4 cycles of very aggressive inpatient chemotherapy with horrific side effects - total hair loss, severe vomiting, fatigue, neuropathy, etc. On top of this all, chemotherapy leaked in my arm and caused 3rd degree burns, more unbearable pain and a deep wound which I’m still treating - initially with creams, then with maggots, then with silver dressings and for the last 5 months with manuka dressings.
I was discharged in November 2020 and had another 5 weeks of outpatient chemotherapy.
In January 2021 I had my end of treatment PET scan which showed I’m in complete metabolic remission. However I’m also having a gastroscopy next week in order to eliminate completely the chance of existence of any residual disease in my stomach.
Burkitts might have taken (temporarily) away my health, pride and independence but hasn’t broken my courage and fighting spirit.
I’m much more than my cancer and never stop reminding this to myself each and every day!!
Nice to meet you all, if you have any Burkitts related questions I’m more than happy to try and answer them and offer any help I can 
Hi and welcome to our corner of the community.
The Lymphoma journey can make us negotiate some significant hurdles but good to see you are still positive and fighting through. Great that you have put something into your profile as this always helps others looking in for support and information.
I have a 21+ years story with my rare type of skin NHL but as much as its tried to get me I still remain out of its reach.
Happy to talk anytime.
Hi again , you may want to use the site search tool and put Burkitts into the set h and look at the various posts.
Thank you
“Damaged goods” ain’t we all (cancer or not)? Well I’ve always been spiritual but found that cancer really enhanced my spirituality. I truly believe that in fighting any disease we have material and spiritual weapons and these are equally important - doctors, drugs, chemo but also our mind, psyche and e/motions. These all have to work together to fight off illness.
When I was admitted with Burkitts I was in an extremely bad condition. They had to give me chemo straight away and as a result I suffered tumour lysis which can lead to heart and kidney failure so I was rushed to ITU for 10 days before returning back in the haematology ward. Throughout this experience I felt very calm and positive (I’m a very stressed OCD person so this was completely out of character). I felt warm and wrapped up in the love of the people surrounding me - my family, my partner, my friends, my acquaintances on Facebook, the Drs and nurses in the ITU and in the Haematology ward, etc. I was so cozy and happy in this emotion that I was in a constant state of gratitude - I’d get emotional and cry out of happiness and gratefulness and not out of fear as I wasn’t afraid at all.
I also started praying a lot to my loved lost relatives, asking for their strength and guidance. Still today I feel that my godmother and my grandmother have been by my side all through the way as my guardian angels - I’ve felt their presence many times during the ups and downs of my lymphoma experience.
My lead oncologist consultant was amazed with how quickly I responded to the 1st round of my chemo and how the cancer was melting away. My mid treatment scan showed I was already in partial remission.
I’m not saying that a positive emotional and mental attitude is a guarantee I’ll be eventually cured but I strongly believe that it makes me a stronger warrior in this unfortunate journey.
There is a documentary called “Heal” on Prime video. Although I don’t agree with everything said there - i.e I don’t believe in the so called healers as many of them are just money making corporates for an upper middle class audience - there’s a lot of useful and hopeful information on how we have the power to heal our own bodies. I found it very inspiring and empowering and some of the techniques to mentally fight disease mentioned there I had subconsciously used them during my treatment before even watching the film. I will try and include a link if this website allows me to.
I hope this kind of helps
