Lymphoma Awareness Month

Today is the first day of Lymphoma Awareness Month -- and/or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Awareness Month, Lymphoma and Leukemia Awareness Month, and Blood Cancer Awareness Month, depending on who is trying to make you aware. 

But whatever you call it, September is the month that is set aside for us to be more aware of our disease.

I always have the same reaction to this month, something like "I am very aware of my lymphoma, thank you. I literally think about it every day, even after 16 years."

And then I remind myself that awareness months like this aren't meant for us as patients. They are meant for others. Perhaps making others aware of lymphoma will help them recognize possible symptoms and catch a possible diagnosis early. Lymphoma Canada does this with their "Know Your Nodes" Quiz. Try it and see how well you do, then share it with others.

Or maybe the awareness is about getting people to be advocates, raising money for research or asking elected officials to make sure cancer research is adequately funded. 

You can wear your ribbon and let others now what it means and why it's important. I always think of Lime Green as my awareness ribbon color (which is why the banner at the top of the blog is lime green, even though google keeps suggesting I use an updated design for the page). But is lime green actually "our" color? I wrote about this a few years ago for Blood-Cancer.org in a piece called "My Cancer Rainbow" (and honestly, it's one of my favorites -- it was really fun to write). 

Lymphoma Awareness Month (or whatever you want to call it) really is about making others aware. 

But at the same time, we really shouldn't ignore how important it is for us to be aware, even though we're living with it every day. In some ways, the "know your nodes" and other symptom-related stuff doesn't matter as much (although it sure matters if you've already had treatment or you're watching and waiting, which covers most of us).

Being aware also means knowing that it's OK to feel a certain way, to have certain emotions. That means talking and listening to other patients and understanding that you're not alone. 

It also means knowing what resources are available to you if and when you need help -- the kinds of survivorship support that might be at your cancer center. Social workers, dieticians, trainers, massage therapists, yoga teachers. They may be there for you -- if you're aware of them.

Awareness also means knowing what treatments are available if you ever need them, and what they might involve. That takes a little work, but it's worth it.

An anonymous reader posted a comment a few days on my post describing my latest oncology appointment. The comment said, "I am an attorney and educated clients make my job easier, not harder. Stay strong in your knowledge. They are lucky to have you as their patient." 

I'm sure they are right about attorneys, and they are right about doctors. And that's probably true of any profession -- accountants probably like clients who know at least a little something about taxes. Teachers like it when students do their homework and are interested in the subject. 

And even if it makes our doctors' jobs easier, it's more important that awareness makes our own lives easier.  There are definitely times when I wish I didn't have to think about lymphoma so much. And there are plenty of patients who stop thinking about it and just try to forget that they have the disease. And if that helps them, good for them. They should do what works for them.

But if you're reading this, you're still at a point where you want to keep thinking about it. Good for you. Stay aware.

And be sure to celebrate Lymphoma Awareness Month. (Or Lymphoma Awareness Day, which is September 15th.) Have some ice cream. And stay aware.