Re-socializing After Cancer

Todd W Franzen

September 1, 2018

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Social Environments

This is something that takes a little bit of time to get used to. There are many ways to start re-socializing. You can include yourself in local events and social environments. Also become involved in local support groups and overtime this will help re-engineer your self to feel more normal.

This is a really important part in the growth process and to continue in the direction of finding peace in your life after cancer.

This took a lot of patience on my behalf because because After cancer, my mindset was in a place where I didn’t think anyone could understand where I was mentally and physically.

I had to go through some transition housing after I got out of the hospital due to the stem cell transplant.The doctors want to me to be in a clean environment and eat healthy. At the time I wasn’t open to what I thought was a social environment. What I thought was a social environment was the bar. That was the thing you did it in a resort destination. Growing up in a ski resort town made it Really easy also.

A crucial period of time

When I got home from the hospital and transition houses, I spent a lot of time hiking out of our back door. Snowboarding was my life! So I spent my time doing what the doctor said getting exercise and eating as healthy as possible. I snowboarded it every day that winter. Hiking and just being outdoors helped me work through the fear and anxiety that was going on in my head and prepare me for re-socialization. I was fortunate that my girlfriend (whose now my wife) Had quit drinking a couple years earlier. I didn’t want to drink and I didn’t want to be that fixture at the bar. So I spent a lot of time with my new found family. At the time, Erika was with me through the entire cancer experience and that said a lot for me! Such a positive influence!

Growing up in a resort destination can be difficult because of how transient the lifestyle is. Fortunately some really good people still lived here and supported me through my experience. I started reaching out to them and reconnecting. The people that really cared about me and supported me completely understood.

It became a lot easier as time went on. And that’s the thing about time, it seams to make the healing process tolerable!

 

 

 

 

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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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