Well, some of you already know this, but I suppose it's time to tell everyone else.

In early February, I discovered a small lump on the right side of my neck. The doctor told me it was most likely a lymph node that was enlarged due to some infection my immune system was fighting off. He told me to watch it for about six weeks, and if it didn't go away, to come back.

It did actually go away. For a little while. In late March or early April, I discovered that it was still there. And not only that, but I had two lymph nodes that were now enlarged. I went back to the doctor, and this time he did a blood test to check my RBC (red blood cell) and WBC (white blood cell) count. and also to see if I had mono. Everything came back fine. I did not have mono, and my RBC and WBC was normal.

I wouldn't have thought much of it, except that the lymph nodes had become quite a bit larger than they had been. Even though my blood test was normal, I went back to the doctor. He took a look at it and sent me to a specialist.

I saw the ear/nose/throat specialist the middle part of April. He decided to do a needle biopsy right there. From that test, they were able to determine that I had a benign "mass." They diagnosed me with "lymphadenopathy," and said they'd have to biopsy the whole lymph node to see what was causing the problem. This biopsy, however, required surgery.

So last Friday, I went in for surgery. I was pretty sick over the weekend (and have been since), but by Monday, I was feeling much better. Tuesday, I went to work. I felt kind of nauseated all day, but not too bad. I was just about to go home from work when the doctor called me with some bad news.

I have Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

I don't know when I'll see the oncologist, but it will be next week sometime. I will have to be staged and tested and then I will start treatment. The kind of treatment it will be will depend on what stage the lymphoma is at, but at the very least it will require radiation therapy. It might even require chemotherapy, and in a worse case senario, a bone marrow transplant.

But believe it or not, there is good news: Hodgkin's Disease is quite treatable. The cancer reacts very well (well for me, I guess. Not so well for the cancer cells) to the treatment. According to everything I've been able to read and find out, I have an extremely high chance of recovering within the year. In fact, one lady we've talked to, who is does medical billing, has never seen a medical code that meant the patient has died from Hodgkin's Disease.

So, I'm very optimistic. I'm keeping my spirits high and in good humor. I just thought you all might like to know. I could use the support at any rate, and if you feel inclined to set up a "Help Mia Survive" fund, I would totally understand. I mean, I don't have insurance after all, and it's going to get quite pricey.

I'm just kidding about that last part, of course.

Mi"really...I was just kidding...no, no, really...you really DON'T need to give me money...promise ;-)"a