I made it. I got into full remission!

Full remission. Wow. Just wow. I still think it’s sinking in. Even after all these months. Brilliant news. The words you want to hear when you have cancer. “You’ve achieved full remission.”

What does it all mean though? However, before I move forwards I’ll just touch on the backstory to all of this.

Some, maybe most of you, will already know this news. You’ve read the blog, you know me personally, you follow my social media, you know.

However, maybe a few of you are new to all of this. This may be the first post you are reading of mine. Hello, by the way, and thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for indulging my ego by reading my blog. I say that a little tongue in cheek, but every writer wants people to read their words. Let’s be honest about that.

For all those that are new, here’s the backstory in a nutshell. On October 10th 2022 I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, stage 4b. Which is a blood cancer in the Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) family.

After just over two years of physical, emotional and mental anguish, different therapies including natural and chemotherapy, I achieved full remission. It was a long hard bloody struggle, but I did it. I got very close to death at one point, but I never gave up hope.

If you want the in-depth story you’ll have to go back to the beginning and read my earlier blog posts. It’s a tale of joy, sorrow, hope and information that may help others.

On October 30th 2024 I was told I had achieved full remission. The oncologist/haematologist said the results were so good that they could find no evidence of cancer in my body at all.

From stage 4b to full remission. It’s still sinking in.

This is the first blog post I’ve written since October 14th, 2024. Two weeks before I got the results.

Why has it taken so long to write this post? Well I’ll answer that, maybe, when I answer the question to the title of this blog.

Full remission, what does that mean?

Technically in terms of cancer it means that all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. Which means all tests, scans, blood work, etc, can’t detect it. However, it’s not the same as cure as cancer cells may still be present at undetectable levels, and there’s always the risk that it could return.

In relation to mantle cell lymphoma, I’ll be a little more specific. Again, full remission means it can’t be detected. There is no evidence of it, but it’s not cured. Unfortunately MCL is classed as an incurable cancer. This means that in the majority of cases MCL often relapses, or returns, after a period of time. Full remission doesn’t last forever. I was told the average time until relapse occurs is five to seven years. That means there is an above and below average. In some cases it may return after a few months or a couple of years. At the other end of the scale some patients have remained in full remission for fourteen years and upwards. Obviously I intend to be in that last group. In fact, like most people, I aim to be the exception to the rule. I’m planning for it to never come back. I have to remain optimistic and live in hope.

That’s the technical side, but what else does full remission mean?

It means a whole lot of stuff, way more than I can write about in one blog post. But I can outline a few parameters and hopefully come back to them in future blog posts. Yes, I know I say that a lot and then maybe never follow up. But cancer is a weird beast and it keeps shifting the goal posts. So the writing shifts accordingly. So we’ll see what happens.

Here’s the outliers though. Full remission means feeling like you’ve got your life back, feeling like your life has changed forever, not understanding wtf is going on, cancer PTSD, not being able to explain how you feel, being able to live life to the fullest, climbing mountains, hiding under rocks, being filled with joy, being filled with anger, becoming a wonderful person, being an asshole, running towards life, running away from life, living life in fear of a relapse, living life with no fear and, well, I could go on. But I think you get the drift of what I’m talking about.

A cancer diagnosis, and full remission if you’re fortunate enough to achieve it, changes you forever. Even if you may not realise it straight away. Life just changes. You change.

Which is why it’s taken me this long to write a blog post. I just couldn’t get my head around it. I feel like I’ve been rediscovering myself. Trying to understand who I am now. Who is the real Jon? How does the real Jon want to live his life? Who the fuck am I now? Please excuse the swearing but it’s the only way I can put it and it still feels raw.

Still, I’ve now written this post, so I’m back in the groove. And it’s been an enjoyable experience. I enjoy writing, so I’m going to do more of it. Which means if you subscribe to my blog you’ll get to read all my posts. It’s also free so what have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing.

Keep your eyes open for the next post. It’s coming soon. It may even be written and scheduled for a release date. But the exact timing will have to be a surprise.

I’ve also got other content in the pipeline. I’m going to mention it because that way I’ll have to full fill it and not keep hiding from it. It’s been suggested to me that I should start a podcast and youtube channel. To talk about all this, not just write about it. To expand on my experiences and see where it leads.

I’ve decided to do it. Although it’s still in the planning stage and I need to get over my stage fright. He laughs nervously to himself. Now that I’ve announced it, though, I’m going to have to get on with it. Stay tuned as they say. The Cancer Raven will be coming to a screen near you in the not too distant future.

That will do for today. I’m just happy to be back in the writing groove. Thank you for reading this.

Every Second Counts.

Big love, Jon