WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
A fitness influencer who was diagnosed with a rare but deadly cancer thought his symptoms were due to ‘overworking’.
Lee Troutman, of Atlanta, Georgia, was diagnosed with late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma last year after experiencing night sweats, fatigue and liver pain.
Before his diagnosis, Troutman, then 20, worked out 12-hour days and trained clients as a fitness instructor.
When the doctors found the cancer, she could no longer walk, talk or eat. She had also lost half her body weight in just two months.
“The doctors didn’t think he would survive,” Mr. Troutman said.
Troutman is part of the growing number of young people who have been diagnosed with cancer in recent decades, a trend that doctors still do not fully understand.
Lee Troutman, of Atlanta, Georgia, was diagnosed with late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma last year after experiencing night sweats, fatigue and liver pain. Just before the diagnosis, he exercised 12 hours a day. When doctors discovered his cancer, he could not walk, talk or eat.
Mr. Troutman’s case was serious. The cancer had spread to all four lobes of his brain: the brainstem, spine, liver, ribs, and hips.
When she first went to the doctor in October 2021, she was diagnosed with mononucleosis, or ‘mono’, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Then, after multiple rounds of testing, doctors found hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an immune system reaction that can lead to organ shutdown, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
NHL is a type of lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, the body’s disease-fighting network, which includes the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and thymus gland.
It can occur anywhere in the body, but usually the first sign is swollen lymph nodes around the neck.
Other symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, include abdominal pain or swelling, chest pain, cough, shortness of breath, persistent fatigue, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss.
The NHL affects about 80,000 people each year in the United States and 14,000 in the United Kingdom. It kills about 20,000 people in the United States and almost 5,000 in the United Kingdom.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that nearly three-quarters of NHL patients survive after five years. Even after the cancer spreads, more than half survive.
However, Mr. Troutman’s case was serious. The cancer had spread to all four lobes of her brain, her brain stem, spine, liver, ribs, and hips.
In May 2022, Troutman finally received a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor. Afterward, she spent 200 days in quarantine and took 63 medications every day to make sure the transplant wasn’t rejected. “The quarantine tested my sanity,” she said. ‘It was hard not being able to see people for 200 days’
“My mom and I found a doctor who agreed to take my case; he gave me hope with a five percent chance of survival,” he said.
“He said if he wanted to survive lymphoma and aggressive cancer treatments, he would need a bone marrow transplant.”
“And after that, I would have a 70 percent chance of making it.”
Troutman was to undergo a bone marrow transplant when his lungs collapsed twice. They put him on a ventilator and put in a feeding tube.
Once off the ventilator, Troutman spent months in rehab to regain weight and muscle mass, while continuing to receive chemotherapy, so he would be strong enough for surgery.
“During this time, I relearned how to do just about everything from walking to eating,” he said.
He estimates that he underwent at least 50 platelet and blood transfusions and more chemotherapy treatments than he can count.
“At the time I didn’t remember the treatments, but looking back, it’s overwhelming,” he said.
In May 2022, Troutman finally received a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor. Afterward, she spent 200 days in quarantine and took 63 medications every day to make sure the transplant wasn’t rejected.
“The quarantine tested my sanity,” he said. “It was hard not being able to see people for 200 days.”
“I felt lonely and actually missed being in the hospital, where I was seeing doctors, nurses and therapists regularly.”
Troutman is now in remission and has regular tests and follow-up appointments to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back.
“The hospital saved my life, but I hope I never have to go back again,” he said.
Now, Troutman is excited to get back to what he loves most: fitness and the gym.
“I’m finally looking forward to my future,” he said.
“If there is anyone out there going through something similar, stay strong, keep fighting and don’t give up.”
“If the doctors have given up, find a new doctor.”
“Be your own advocate.”