April 2013
1 post
Article from the UCI paper! →
This is a great piece written by a dear friend who covered everything that I have been through the past 5 years. It is a very good read!
March 2013
1 post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-teller/the-man-be... →
Man Behind The Mask:
Huffington Post Blog 2
February 2013
2 posts
Generation "Why Not Me," my recent publish on the... →
It's been awhile...
I know guys, I am sorry. It has been way to long since my last update. I am somewhere around day 120, and I would say everything is going pretty well. For the most part I feel good. I have had some hiccups along the way, but nothing that Mr. Superman, aka Dr. Forman can’t solve. I was on steroids for about 5 weeks while I was battling GVHD. I had a pretty bad skin rash, and we had to taper off the...
December 2012
1 post
4 tags
November 2012
3 posts
Feels Good to Be at Home
I have been out of the hospital for 14 days now and I am happy and content with the way I am feeling. I am relieved to be home and in my own bed, with my family, eating lots of food (thanks to mega doses of steroids) while giving my body the time it needs to recover. As somebody that has always looked toward the future and the next thing, for the first time in my life I am content with waking up...
Great Article on Young Adult Cancer
As I was checking the news this morning I came across a great article that spoke to me and what Cuck Fancer stands for. In this article you will see the many problems young adults face when diagnosed with cancer at a young age. Many of these problems include not being able to afford healthcare. Laura Schocker adds, “The questions start piling up: How do you date? Can you still have children?...
Finally...After 31 Days
I’m Coming Home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ImCpNqbJw
Day +19 Happy Halloween
It’s official I’m engraphing! Feeling like I’m coming into the home stretch. My body has started to take up these new cells and beginning to reproduce. Another important milestone crossed off.
As a result of my rising blood counts, I am starting to feel more like me. I’m still really tired and sleeping a lot (in-between blood draws, platelet transfusions, vitals, hanging meds…) and beginning to...
October 2012
10 posts
Day +14
Wow, what a roller coaster! The past week has been really hard.
Here’s what the doctors came to understand over the last several days. After my allergic reaction to the Vacomycin (rash) another rash took over, that one being the result of what we now know is early engraphment syndrome (EES). This means that I received a really good “cell dose” from my donor and my immune...
Day +11
It’s been challenging to get to the blog in the last few days. As I continue to circle the same drain for the last four days, not a whole lot to report. Same ol’, same ol’, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and an overall ache. I had a CT scan yesterday to rule out any internal infection, but thankfully, all clear! My blood cultures continue to come up negative, which is a good...
Day +8
It appears both from how I feel and my blood counts, the bottom of this journey has arrived. Here’s to hoping the only place to go is UP!
Feeling pretty weak and in the bathroom often —- use your imagination.
I began to run a fever today. It is either a result of some infection, but more than likely it’s a result of the newbie (donor) cells attempting to make a home in my body...
Day +3
The journey to health is going to be a long one and it felt like it started today. My counts dropped (.8 WBC) and I’m under house arrest meaning I can’t leave my room. I had a tough time eating because everything upsets my stomach, yet another lovely side effect of the chemo. Unfortunately, I still have an appetite, but everything upsets my stomach. I had a nice visit from a friend of...
Day 4 ( or day -1)
Today I felt some of the effects of the chemotherapy. I was a little more fatigued then I have been in the previous days. Tomorrow I will receive my donor cells. We do not know exactly what time I will receive the cells, but we know it will take at least 2 hours because the marrow takes longer to infuse. I am anticipating a tough 3 weeks ahead after tomorrow, but more than anything I am ready to...
Day 3
Today was pretty uneventful and in the cancer world we will take that. I am feeling minimal side effects from the chemotherapy but nothing near complaining about. I am pretty anxious about getting my new donor cells on Friday and anticipating what the recovery process will be like.
So until tomorrow, here is the video of the day!
Cuck Fancer
Ben
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixsn81SqU6E
...
Update 10/9
I want to start off by thanking everyone for all of the kind messages I have been receiving the past few days. It really helps me get through the journey ahead. I finished my chemotherapy last night at about 10:30 pm, after having to chew on ice for about an hour to reduce the possibility of mouth sores. I was lucky and did not receive any mouth sores and the side effects of the chemo are...
September 2012
2 posts
Cuck Fancer- My Update
So much has happened since my last update, so here is the most simplified version. I had a PET/CT scan about 2 weeks ago to show the doctor where the cancer is before the transplant. This is going be our base scan for the next year. Contrary to what we originally thought, I am completely PET negative (no cancer), going into this transplant. The doctor allowed me some time off (from...
Cuck Fancer.- Pre Transplant Update
Last time I updated my blog we were currently trying to find another suitable donor, and luckily we have found one. It is not the same situation as before, but Dr. Forman assured me we could do a successful transplant with this donor by adjusting what he does on his own. Trusting him and worried at the same time. What else is new!
Before he made this decision to go ahead with transplant, he...
August 2012
1 post
Blog Update: My Story
Yesterday was the start of my 3rd cycle of this new regiment of chemotherapy I have been on, called GND. We were hoping this would get rid of the minimal disease left in my body so we could proceed with an allotransplant in October. I had a scan Monday morning and we soon got the results. It was not what we were hoping to hear. The doctor explained that he is not seeing much difference in this...
July 2012
5 posts
Cancer and The Olympics
Jake Gibbs, a proven gold medalist in the Olympics, almost had his dreams highjacked twice when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, after previously defeating melanoma. He was determined not to let cancer defeat him. His story inspires me because although cancer tried to derail his dreams twice, he still kept his goals in mind and worked hard toward accomplishing them. After defeating...
How Stand Up 2 Cancer Shaped Me: Video
This video was made by Stand Up 2 Cancer in 2008. At first, I was very hesitant to talk about my story, but without them, there is no way I would of been where I am today. Thank you SU2C!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSjsFCIlH5c
The Story Behind Cuck Fancer
I think every great organization needs an inspiring story behind it. I have always been hesitant to blast my story on the web and to tell the world what I am going through, but I think it’s time that I stop hiding behind my fear of cancer becoming my identity. My story is what Cuck Fancer stands for and I truly believe in this organization and what it can do for young adults fighting...
Another bump in the road
So I had my first treatment of GND last friday without the D (Doxil), because there is a shortage of the drug. I should be receiving all three this friday. The treatment day did not really go according to plan. When we got there we were informed that instead of having chemotherapy once every three weeks, I was going to have it two weeks in a row, with one week off. So I have chemotherapy on day 1,...
Update on my health
It is July 3rd, and I had a doctor appointment yesterday. Unfortunately, it did not go as planned. We have had a minor set back. We were hoping that I would have a clean PET/CT scan from the eight cycles of SGN-35 but unfortunately, there were multiple new areas of growth of hodgkins. The only good thing that came from SGN was that it did shrink/ get rid of all of the old areas, so it did some...
June 2012
1 post
Success!
Success!
On May 22nd, we launched a weeklong event at UC Irvine to raise awareness for our foundation. We partnered up with Alpha Epsilon Pi and Be The Match to help make this event a true success! On Tuesday, Buffalo Wild Wings sponsored an atomic wing eating challenge where we gathered ten eager contestants to eat 12 atomic wings as fast as they could! It was very entertaining and we were able...
May 2012
3 posts
First Fundraiser!
This week at UC Irvine I am holding my first fundraiser for my non profit organization Cuck Fancer. The response has been overwhelming. I walked around to different chapter meetings and showed people a video that I made to share my story. It was the first time I became that “cancer” patient. I usually do not publicly speak to people my age about what I am going through. I am glad I did...
Been A Long Time!
I cannot believe that I have not posted in over a month. I guess that is a good thing. Life seems to just be moving at the same pace. I am in a routine. School, friends, home, chemotherapy, and then back to school. I have had a total of 6 cycles of SGN-35. I have one more treatment and then I will graduate. It is unbelievable that after all of the crap that I have been through I will be able to...
March 2012
2 posts
Day after Chemo round 4
3/25
I just completed my fourth cycle of SGN-35. I have been a little bit nauseous for the past 36 hours or so, I am thinking it will pass soon. It’s nothing I can’t really handle.
I have invested the past 2-3 months working endlessly to get my new and revamped website off the ground. We are almost there. I am working on a logo, and I am trying to put together my first event, so...
Good Update
It is a day after my 3rd treatment of SGN and I have no side effects. It is still pretty remarkable that I can feel this good after chemotherapy. We got the results from the CT scan and good news, we saw a lot of reduction from most of the lymph nodes in my body. The ones around my spleen and liver shrunk a good amount, which is probably why I have my appetite back. The lymph nodes surrounding my...
February 2012
4 posts
UPDATE!
Wow, I can’t believe that it has been 2 weeks since I last updated. I feel like that’s a good thing because I haven’t really been thinking about cancer that much lately. I haven’t been home since my last treatment, so I have been able to stay at school and enjoy myself. But it’s that time again on Friday, where I will go in for my 3rd treatment of SGN.
I will be...
After Round 2
This treatment was not that bad at all. I was a little bit nauseous, but with some quick meds and a nice nap I was feeling completely fine within a few hours. It is now Monday and I feel 100%. It amazes me that I can feel like this after treatment, when 4 years ago, I would be knocked out for at least 48-72 hours. It makes you think what If you were just diagnosed this year for this first...
Chemo Cycle 2
I will keep this one short and sweet. In about an hour I will be recieving my 2nd cycle of SGN 35. I am much better from the flu I had last week and my counts are back to normal.
I will let you all know how this one goes.
It’s how you wear it
Cuck Fancer
Ben
Almost ready for round 2
So it’s Sunday night now, and I am feeling pretty good. I couldn’t say that on Wednesday of last week. As I was studying for my corporate finance midterm I started to have a really bad headache. Right afterwards, I felt warm. As I walked outside I got the chills. When I went home that night I could not get warm. I had a minor fever of about 100. I took some Tylenol and it worked for...
January 2012
9 posts
2 tags
Donor Update
When we spoke last, the process of seeing whether your brother was a match was just beginning. Any news on that front?
Hey Phil,
Unfortunately, he is not a match. He was only a half match, which is not good enough. They match on about 10 different pieces and we are now in the process of finding one that will match as close as we can to those 10. Sometimes they only find about 8 or 9 out of 10...
Day 2...
So it is a little more than 24 hours after my first treatment of SGN-35, and I feel no different than I did earlier this week. That is a good thing! 4 years ago when I received chemotherapy I would feel the side effects within hours. It is pretty amazing how far we have come along with science and technology. The infusion was about an hour. Afterwords, I drove back to school, played in a soccer...
Day 1
It all starts in a few hours. I will be having my first chemotherapy treatment this afternoon. I want to use this post to tell some people a little about myself. All of my information about my previous cancer stories are available on cuckfancer.com.
I have licensed Cuck Fancer. as a 501 (c) 3 non profit organization and I am now blogging here.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma the first...
This is my non-profit. Cuck Fancer. →
