Table of Contents
- Courtney's Experience
- Diagnosis and Discovery
- Treatment Journey
- What is Follicular Lymphoma?
- Complications During Treatment
- Survival and Coping
Courtney's Experience
When Courtney Liniewski awoke in January 2022 to a loud noise in her head and noticed that half of her face was drooping, she feared she was having a stroke.
The 34-year-old shares with Sun Health: “I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘My face doesn’t look right.’”
Courtney Liniewski thought she was having a stroke when she woke up to a loud bangCredit: COVER Images
Her symptoms were dismissed as a panic attack and migraineCredit: COVER Images
“I went to work and everyone exclaimed, ‘Oh my god, you look like you’ve had a stroke.’”
Courtney visited the emergency department, only to be informed that she was experiencing a panic attack and migraine.
Soon after, she was struck by severe chest pain, shortness of breath, and a painful back.
“I kept insisting, ‘I just need a chest X-ray,’ because I couldn’t breathe properly,” says Courtney, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“But I had already been to the ER once, and they told me I was fine. I felt foolish returning.”
“They labeled it a complex migraine and a panic attack. I left the hospital feeling brushed off, sedated, and dismissed.
“In the meantime, I was missing my son’s very first soccer practice. That broke my heart.
“I kept convincing myself I was fine because the doctors said I was fine. But I wasn’t.”
Diagnosis and Discovery
A month later, while on a trip, Courtney’s body sent her another warning.
“My immune system went haywire, and a lump appeared on the side of my neck,” she recalls.
“I returned home, had it biopsied, and that’s when I finally heard the words: you have cancer.”
Just weeks after her 31st birthday, Courtney was diagnosed with grade 3B follicular lymphoma with a triple-hit mutation.
It was an extremely rare, aggressive, and incurable form of cancer.
By the time Courtney received her diagnosis, the cancer had already advanced to stage three.
The mum was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancerCredit: COVER Images
She began undergoing chemo to treat itCredit: COVER Images
She had an 11-centimetre tumor in her chest, along with enlarged lymph nodes in her neck, abdomen, and pelvis.
Courtney remembers asking, “What is lymphoma?”
“The only time I had heard that word was in those old TV commercials about Roundup [weed killer] exposure. I never imagined it could actually happen to me.
“The doctor called me and said I had a large mass in my chest, but it didn’t register that it was cancer.
“Someone even told me it was the ‘good kind of cancer’. I thought, no. You’re mistaken. Cancer is cancer. There’s no good kind.”
If you feel something’s off, you must advocate for answers.
Courtney Liniewski
Don’t let anyone make you feel crazy for trusting your body.
Courtney still reflects on how she was overlooked when she initially sought help for her symptoms.
However, she states: “It wasn’t really a misdiagnosis. It was a missed opportunity.
“I didn’t present with obvious cancer symptoms. I showed up looking like I’d had a stroke.
“They treated what they observed. But it taught me something I’ll never forget: if you feel something’s wrong, you have to push for answers.
“Don’t let anyone make you feel crazy for listening to your body.”
