Hi! My name is Pia and I’m 17 years old. In 2014, when I was going into my first year of highschool, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer that occurs in the lymph nodes all around the body. I didn’t know anything about the disease when I first was diagnosed, except the connotation of cancer patients having bald heads. That quite frankly terrified me. I had long, brown locks and I was told that soon they would be gone. I was horrified, sad, and scared when that image had to become a reality. But, the day I had my hair shaving party with my closest friends and loved ones is when I was a changed person.
Having no hair was actually quite convenient; I never had to worry about a bad hair day! I completely changed my attitude from being sad to determined. I was determined to not let this stupid disease define me, because if I didn’t let it, it couldn’t. Within a (luckily) short 5 months, I was declared cancer free and in remission. To this day, I go in for scans and blood draws just to make sure my body is doing good! Keeping a positive outlook on everything dramatically helped me out during those not-so-fun months. I view that experience as more of a blessing than a curse. If I never had gone through it, I wouldn’t of had this awesome head of curls, I couldn’t of bonded with Abbie that extra step, and PAB’S PACKS wouldn’t be around. I am now going to be a senior in highschool, soon to start a whole new journey of my life the year after this one when I go to college. I have been grateful for all the opportunities and experiences in my life: the good and the bad
Pia with a patient at Gillette Children’s.