us lymphoma survivors, we’re pretty good athletes

Us lymphoma survivors, we can be pretty good athletes. Witness: Jon Lester throws a no-hitter.

Lester had anaplastic large cell lymphoma. That’s a type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma that effects the B cells.

There are two types of cancers that effect the lymph nodes — Hodgkin’s Disease and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s Disease has about four different sub-types and accounts for about 8,000 cases per year. What distinguishes Hodgkin’s Disease from N-HL is the presence of a Reed-Sternberg cancer cell. HD patients have R-S cells, N-HL patients do not. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a much more diverse set of diseases. There are over 30 different sub-types which altogether account for 50,000 or so cases per year.

I’m not a Red Sox fan, but I decided to be just for last night. It is always good to see someone with cancer go on and do well. And it’s pretty darn cool to see a fellow lymphoma survivor and athlete pitching at the top of his game, in the elite ranks.

I just wish he pitched for someone else, you know other than the Evil Empire the Second. :)

Tags: baseball, cancer, Hodgkin's Disease, Lester, lymphoma, no-hitter, non-hodgkin lymphoma, survival, survivors