My Journey 10/7/10

Todd W Franzen

October 8, 2010

Yesterdays daily conversation with my doctor helped me understand some inner working of the human body and help quell a little anxiety that I was having due to a fluctuating blood counts.  Tuesday we saw a n increase in my ANC count (neutropenic count) to 20.  Its a small number, but was excited to see it go up.  I was like sweet!  Its working.  My counts came back on wednesday showing a 0.  Despondent is a good word, and throw a restless night sleep in there…  Thursdays Numbers cam back and there was a there was a two fold increase in the numbers all around.  I asked Mark my doctor.  What dies this mean?  Is this normal?  Cause this roller coaster sucks!  He said yes and that this is a good sign.  What happens is the new stem=cells are doing what there suppose to do.  They are starting to make new cells.  The new cells get released into the blood stream and are getting taken up my the organs and tissue to start repairing it from all the chemo, bruising and even any bugs that go on while your bottomed out.  Thats the reason for the roller coaster.  Mark explained that while Erika, Nic Drago and Jackie Nelson were visiting.  Of course, Drago had to Facebook it immediately!  Hahahahaha…  It was good for Erika to hear it from the horses mouth.  For me, it was a sigh of relief and now understand my body a little bit better on how it works.

At this point its a waiting game.  My counts are slowly moving up.  Hopefully hit overdrive in the next couple days.  Once my counts go above 1000, I wont be considered neutropenic and may be released to a halfway house a few blocks from the hospital.  Going to guess next week some time.  Ill throw out a guess, the 14th.   Thats a week from today.  I feel really optimistic!      

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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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