Patient Experience

Caroline Manzie

A person has roughly a one in 50 chance of being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma sometime in his or her lifetime. 

Caroline Manzie was one of the unlucky ones. She was diagnosed at age 32, as the mother of a 3-year-old daughter.

But Caroline said she was fortunate to have Loyola University Health System as her health-care provider. A series of treatments at Loyola has enabled Caroline to survive her cancer and see her daughter, Darla, grow up.

"I've got a lot of life ahead of me," Caroline said. "I'm not a quitter. I'm not going to give in to cancer."

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a cancer that starts in blood cells called lymphocytes, which are a major part of the body’s infection-fighting immune system. The American Cancer Society estimates approximately 66,000 new cases and 20,000 deaths will be caused by the disease in 2009.

Treatments can include radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and bone marrow or blood stem cell transplants.

Radiation and chemotherapy eliminate cancer cells. Immunotherapy is a synthetic drug version of substances in the immune system. The drug can eradicate or slow the growth of cancer cells or jumpstart the patient's immune system to attack cancer cells.

A bone marrow or stem cell transplant delivers healthy stem cells to a patient to replace bone marrow that is diseased or has been destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation.

Caroline has undergone many treatments, including a bone marrow transplant. She met her donor, Andrea McGavin, for the first time at Loyola's 20^th Annual Bone Marrow Transplant Celebration. The two have since become friends.

"She gave me the gift of life," said the cancer survivor, who lives in Wood Dale, Ill. "If it wasn't for Andrea, I wouldn’t be here."

Caroline's physician, Patrick Stiff, MD, Coleman Professor of Oncology and Division Director, Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, calls Andrea a hero. "She's like a fireman who pulls a person out of a burning building," said Dr. Stiff, who is also the director of the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center.

Loyola’s internationally renowned Bone Marrow Transplantation Program is one of the largest and most innovative.