My Journey 10/26/10

Todd W Franzen

October 25, 2010

I got sprung!  Not really, but the doctors gave me the ok to come home.  I spent five days at Brent’s Place.  Its about five blocks from PSL.  Went in on monday and had my blood drawn for testing.  Went back in on Wednesday for more labs.  I got my results on back from the Monday labs and sure enough, my counts have come up so much that the doctors thought it would be a good idea that I come home and see how I cope.  So wednesday evening I came home.  I’ve been holding off on writing for a couple reason.  One, I wanted to see how I felt being at home in altitude.  And two, I need to be carful being around anyone being flu season and all.  So far so good.

Let me tell you how nice it is on sleeping in my own bed!  Aside from sleeping really well, being home has felt really good.  It took a little bit of getting use to not having to get up every four hours to have my vitals checked, blood draws done at midnight, peeing in a urinal, being attached to an IV pump 24 hours a day (I called it my pump buddy).  Last night I had one of the best night sleeps in a long time.  Without any drugs!  I cant explain or recommend just how important it is to get a good night sleep when you are recovering.  But I guess anything is better than sleeping in a hospital bed for a month.  The altitude definitely makes me want to take more naps but thats ok.  My body just went through hell.  Its going to take some time to recover.  I did a little test friday night to see just what kind of road im going to have in front of me.  I hauled up about eight five gallon water bottles up the stares and that pretty much did me in.  I have no strength, endurance, or stamina.  Ill be honest, it was a little disheartening.  But I have to keep reminding my self that I just went through a transplant.  Tomorrow will be day +28, 4 weeks ago.  Not a long time.  Its going to be a long road for sure.  I guess what im saying is that im trying to be as patient as I can.  Going off how im feeling at this moment, I feel pretty good.

Having a couple days to reflect on the hospital experience has been a bit overwhelming.  Its seems like it has gone by relativity quick.  Its been emotional.  Its been surreal.  I feel so fortunate for so many things at this moment that its hard to not be grateful for everything in my life.  It hasn’t been easy up to this point, and I dont expect it to be easy from here on out…  

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Todd W Franzen


I am a two-time Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor with 17 years of documented cancer survivorship experience that spans multiple treatment eras. My journey began in November 2009 with a Stage 4B diagnosis at age 33, and continued through recurrence and treatment in 2019-2021. This rare longitudinal perspective—living through two complete treatment cycles a decade apart—gives me comparative insight into cancer care evolution that no single medical professional can replicate.

MY TREATMENT EXPERIENCE

First Treatment Cycle (2009-2010)
• 12 infusions of ABVD Chemotherapy over 6 months
• 2 infusions of ICE Chemotherapy (4-day infusions)
• 1 infusion of BEAM Chemotherapy
• 1 Autologous Stem-Cell Transplant
• 8 PET Scans
• 6 CT Scans

Second Treatment Cycle (2019-2021)
• 2 infusions of Brentuximab and Bendamustine
(Severe allergic reaction to Brentuximab — hives)
• 25 rounds of Radiation to Mediastinum (46RAD combined)
• 4 infusions of Keytruda Immunotherapy
• 2 infusions of IGEV Chemotherapy (5-day infusions)
• 1 Total Body Radiation (2RAD)
• 1 Sibling Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplant
• 6 PET Scans
• 6 CT Scans

COMPARATIVE EXPERTISE

Surviving two stem-cell transplants—one autologous, one sibling allogeneic—across different decades of cancer treatment has given me firsthand experience with nearly every major modality in lymphoma care: combination chemotherapy, salvage chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation protocols, and both types of stem-cell transplantation. I've experienced treatment side effects from the "standard" ABVD era through the modern immunotherapy period.

This comparative expertise matters for survivors. Treatment protocols in 2009 looked very different from 2019, and the long-term survivorship implications are still emerging. Doctors treat; survivors live with the aftermath. I've done both—twice.

CREDENTIALS & PROJECTS

• Founder: Strap In For Life 501(c)(3) nonprofit
• Author: Internal Architect: A Cancer Survivor's Memoir
• Licensed Insurance Agent (practical healthcare system navigation)
• 17-year cancer survivor documenting the journey since 2008

WHAT I WRITE ABOUT

Cancer survivorship doesn't end when treatment stops—it's when the real reconstruction begins. My blog covers:
• Practical survivorship (relationships, careers, identity)
• Treatment experience insights (what they don't tell you)
• Long-term effects and secondary health considerations
• Mental health and emotional reconstruction
• Healthcare system navigation

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  1. todd while this brings tears to my eyes to read, it makes me appreciate my health, value life so much more AND most of all…haha…think the WORLD of YOU. Good goin, prayers in your honor my friend!!! Keep the spirit youre 100% right that immediately after a freakin transplant, you should be somewhat less than before. You will be back in no time, this I am sure of. Yay!!! Much love 🙂 Claudine

  2. great to hear things are going well, but hang in there when you get discouraged. Look how far you've come. One day you'll look back on all of this and will seem so far in your rear view mirror. You'll be the big strong guy you were before all this soon enough.

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