Nana's Box Feature: Erin

Last week I received a very touching email from Jennifer, the sister of a 26 year old women who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in October 2008. She requested a box for her sister, Erin, and shared the following story with me:

My sister Erin was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in October of 2008. She received 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation. After that, she had a number of complications including a blood clot. She was finally feeling back to normal when this past September a routine scan revealed that her lymphoma had returned.

She has now undergone two more rounds of chemo and will soon be receiving a stem cell transplant.

One more important fact about Erin...when she found out that she would have to undergo treatment again, she moved her wedding up from September 2011 to November 2010. She and her husband wanted to be married while she underwent this ordeal for a second time. After visiting the oncologist on a Monday in October, she discovered she had to start chemo the following Monday and would not be able to have the wedding in November. We moved the date up again to the Saturday of that week and managed to pull off a beautiful wedding with just four days of planning!

Erin and her husband, Brendon, have been dating since high school and he has been amazing through both of her ordeals. They were married on October 30, 2010 and she began chemo on November 1.

With just an email notice to close friends and family on the Tuesday before the wedding, nearly 150 people showed up to the church and around 100 returned to my parents house for a reception. It was such an inspiring day and certainly lifted everyones spirits. We have kept the original September date of next year for a renewal of vows and reception.

I was also told that Erin's attitude throughout the whole ordeal has been very positive and her family hopes that by sharing her story she can be an inspiration to those who are going through the same thing.

My prayers go out to Erin and her family as she under goes the stem cell surgery. May you be blessed with strength to endure and health to heal quickly!