Cooking soup to heal after Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 23 (Julie’s story)

March 1, 2011

In this video, Julie talks about dealing with Hodgkin's lymphoma and her relationships, as well as how she healed by learning to make soup

Watch as Julie talks about being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 23, when she had nine dollars in her bank account and was deciding what to do next. She talks about how she initially worried about losing her hair and how her relationships were affected, including the alienation she felt as her friends continued doing what 23-year-olds do.

She also talks about the perspective she’s gained. She discusses forgiveness and learning to live in the present. After her treatments stopped, she refocused and healed by learning to cook soup every day.

Julie lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick. At the time of the interview, she was a 10-year survivor and had returned to school. She was working on her PhD, which let her focus on cancer’s social and psychological issues.

“I was so worried about the future, and in a sense having cancer kind of in one way — and kind of a negative way — made me a little bit afraid of the future. But from that I also recognize that I’m right here in the moment and from that experience have learned to live every single moment.”

Watch the video of Julie talking about life during and after Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer works with our partners to make sure adolescents and young adults (AYA) who are either living with or are survivors of cancer as children, adolescents or young adults, experience improved outcomes and quality of life. Our goal is to deliver quick, equal access to the best care both during and after cancer treatment. That care should be based on education and research to improve health outcomes and quality of life, and to eliminate current disparities around AYA cancer care.

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