A letter from Meghan:
Meghan Benfield
My name is Meghan Benfield, and I am 19 years old. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in August of 2009. I was about to start college in four days when I was told that I had it. My head was spinning with emotions from all of the doctors telling my parents and I about treatments and the loss of hair that no young woman wants deal with. By mid September I was starting the first of 12 chemotherapy treatments and feeling pretty rough to start with. My family was having about as much of a hard time dealing with everything as I was, but we hid it well from each other. My Aunt Karen and her daughter Katie Cauthen told my parents about Cancer Services and that we should try to go see them and see what they could do to help with some of the things that we might need, Katie had been volunteering there for sometime and had mentioned it to her mother.
My Mother and Father took me over to the Cancer Center offices to see how to go about making an appointment or filling out paperwork. I stayed in the car because I was not feeling well. They were very helpful. On the spot they sent us over to a place to get a wig for me and they paid for all of it . Later on in the week someone from Cancer Services called my Dad and asked him some follow up questions and told him that they may be able to help in other ways. They ended up helping us with some of my medication. I think it was $60 a month, which was a huge help to my father who was stressing over all of the bills coming in.
During the last eight months I have had some complications along the way, but I never let them get me down. I believe that a positive attitude is the key to getting through something like this. Not to mention the support of family, friends, and all of the prayers that many many people prayed for me. I was told by my doctor in mid April that I was all but cancer free except for one little spot that they want to keep an eye on for a while and that I can go back to work next month. I can also Lord willing get to start college in the fall of this year as well. I would like to thank Cancer Services for just being there when I needed them.
Yours truly,
Meghan Benfield