Meet Rebecca

“When I was 12 years old, I started to notice a lump behind my left ear that seemed to be growing very fast,” Rebecca told us. “We went to the doctor and shortly after, had a biopsy. The results showed that the mass was, you guessed it, cancerous.”

She was diagnosed with plasmacytoma, a very rare form of blood cancer that’s similar to multiple myeloma. Doctors told her it’s more typically found in 55 year old men.

She underwent surgery to remove the mass, which was a complex procedure because the tumor had wrapped itself around nerves in her neck. But the surgery worked, and she was in remission.

“Unfortunately, that type of cancer has a reputation for coming back,” she said. “And sure enough, when I was 15 years old, my routine blood test was not so routine.”

This time the tumor was in her abdomen. And this time, surgery didn’t work.

“After an exploratory surgery proved to cause excess bleeding, doctors looked at other options. Because the tumor was near so many vital organs, the best option revealed itself to be proton radiation, which has the ability to stop on a target instead of going through anything in front of it,” Rebecca said. “This treatment - though long and taxing - proved to be successful and I am coming up on 7 years in remission!”