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Rory Windrum Age: 18
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Type of Cancer: Hodgkins lymphoma

I was diagnosed late August 2001 after a biopsy of a lymph node on my neck. It was found during a physical examination prior to attending a hockey camp. At first I thought nothing of it and figured that it couldn’t possibly be cancer. When I first found out about having cancer I kind of brushed it off. Later that week it really hit me and I realized that this was way more serious than what I had told myself it was. First came the rounds of chemotherapy. This was the worst time of my treatment. I was sick almost all the time and I had trouble sleeping and concentrating on my schoolwork. Since I was in grade 12 at the time, this was really a rough time and I knew that I would have to really buckle down on my studies to keep from getting behind in my classes this time. My friends at school really encouraged me and my teachers were able to give me assignments for the week that I would be gone. What really helped me through the time academically were the marks that I received at my midterm. I was astonished when my average of all my classes was just over 90%! This was really a boost and made me realize that no matter what you go through, if you are determined enough, goals and aspirations can be achieved. The next treatments I went through were radiation treatments. This was a breeze compared to the chemo. At the end of the radiation treatments, I had another workup of tests to see if the cancer was gone and it was. It has been about a year and a half and all of my tests are still clear. Now it is just concentrating on doing well in university and getting back into all of the sports I love.

Highlights: (Memorable moments, turning points, favourite memories)
One memorable moment that sticks out in my head was a young boy, about 2 to 3 years old that always looked at me with a curious type grin. I remember being in the hospital room and him walking by looking at me while pushing a little cart. He was so intent on looking at me that he bumped into a weigh scale and just kept bumping into it. I thought it was so neat.

Lowlights: (Moments of courage, digging deep within)
I had to be admitted to the hospital for a weekend one time. I just felt so sick and so terrible that I just wanted to quit the whole treatment. I realized then that I just had to dig deeper than I had ever before to fight my way out of this bad feeling. I began to feel better the next day and by the end of the weekend I was discharged from the hospital.

Current Status:
I am currently about a year and a half in remission

Favourite Activity(s) now:
My favourite activities now are mountain biking, working on my car, playing video games, curling, and hanging out with friends.