Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma here. I honestly didn’t notice the ones that should have been obvious: fatigue and night sweats. To be honest, even if I had seen those symptoms listed somewhere, I wouldn’t have expected that at age 22, lymphoma would be the cause.

Then one Saturday morning, as I attempted to move my bowels, the tumor perforated my intestine, releasing half-digested food into my gut. This is called peritonitis, and is equivalent to a burst appendix. The pain was immediate, intense, and enough to get me to an emergency room.

13 weeks later, I had completed chemotherapy AND my bachelor’s degree. I’m 58 now.