Makaila Chenier thought the lump in her neck was from a cold. It was lymphoma. As the lump in her neck grew, it became difficult for her to breathe. That’s when she knew she needed to see a doctor.
After multiple visits, doctors transferred Makaila to Texas Children’s Hospital in downtown Houston and “a slew of specialists” visited her. The next day she underwent a biopsy and was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. Makaila stayed in the intensive care unit because doctors worried about “the airway constriction.”
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes or the lymphatic system — a series of organs, tissues and vessels that protect the body from infection. Lymph nodes are dotted throughout the body, in the neck, abdomen, groin, armpits and intestine.
“They’re everywhere,” Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer, a pediatric oncologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, tells TODAY.com. “Typically, that’s where these (lymphomas) develop.”
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