My Journey 6/4/10

Todd W Franzen

June 5, 2010

   So it’s been a little bit over a month since I wrote and got every one caught up.  I also wanted to say thank you for everyone’s support the past 7 months.  I have been very fortunate that things have been going pretty good.  My last treatment was on April 29th and been taking it easy while enjoying my time after twelve rounds of Chemotherapy.  I went to Steamboat that first weekend with my parents, Erika and the girls and Erika’s mom.  Went swimming and went up to Strawberry Hot Springs.  If you’ve never been there, I highly suggest that you check it out.  Played 9 holes at a course that my friend Ryan works at.  But really just spent the first week from chemo having fun and enjoying myself.  Five days of sleeping in, eating, swimming and laughing.  Erika’s girls are ten and twelve and just funny as hell.     
   The next weekend went to Santa Barbara and hung out with my good friend CJ.  Played two rounds of golf.  Rancho San Marcos and La Pursima.  Both courses are absolutely amazing.  Ranchos greens were rolling around a 10-11 and La Pursima is getting there course ready for The Impossible.  The rough was brutal and cost me at least 4 strokes.  The weather could have been a little bit better, but i was just happy for a little scenery change.  I forgot how much that humidity really penetrates.  It was good to hang out with both my friends. 
   I played in a golf scramble that benefited the Little Red School House yesterday.  My Father, Uncle Deno and Andy was the team.  We tied for second shooting 13 under.  Super fun!  We played really well.  Made me want to take my golf game a little more serious.        
   I had scheduled my third PET scan on June 1st.  Needless to say, I have been waiting to hear the results from that scan.  I got a call from my oncologist last night and got the results.  There is what looks like a hot spot in my upper right chest that is most likely a infected lymph node. 

   It didn’t show on the second scan, but did on the third one (the arrow is pointed to the issue).  the other dark spots is my bottom of my brain, heart, kidneys, bladder, and testies).  I am scheduled to have a biopsy on Tuesday, then we will be able to see what needs to happen next.  Worse case scenario might be a bone marrow transplant. Yea, fuck that!  The good news is there has been a hugh reduction in the amount and size of the active cells.  Im also waiting to get all three scan results to send to a distant relative and a specialist (on my sister-in-laws side) to Sao Paulo Brazil.  Time for a second opinion!  I think my Oncologist has done a good job, but I want a second and third set of eyes to look it over.
   Its safe to say that the last 24 hours has been pretty heavy.  But it doesn’t compare to the last month of hanging out with my friends and family.  So thats where thats at.  Im feeling good other than this small set back.  Ill keep you posted!

                             

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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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