Can a Hodgkins lymphoma survivor get married?

@ptljesus, great questions. I can see that you're questioning the future, making life decisions, and your cancer history obviously plays a part in that.

I'm tagging fellow members like @caracello22 @annalise @avalon11 @jessica0 to join this discussion as I bet they have grappled with some of these questions too.

Most Hodgkin lymphoma isn't thought to run in families. Less that 5% may be familial and have inherited variants that may increase risk. You could talk to a genetic counsellor about this.

The quick answer is yes, people who have had childhood experience with Hodgkin's lyphoma can get married. Your questions go deeper than that. I think you're asking about what does this mean also for your potential partner. Might your life span be different from theirs? Can we have children? These are good questions to ask, but may not have exact or simple answers

I think the other question is when you find a possible life partner, what, when and how does this come up in discussion?

Hi,thankyou for your reply...life partner is not yet fixed..trying to convince some normal people..the questions posed are by the people who come forward to marry..is there any possibility for a Hodgkins lymphoma survivor to have AIDS ,as inherited or infected thru needles in childhood...kindly update..thankyou

Hello! This is a good question to ask. I know I can say that building a long term relationship with someone is definitely possible. It is important to help that person understand what might be important for you related to your history with cancer (like how often you might have follow up appointments, is there anything that would be helpful for you like support around medical appointments if these are hard). Depending on your situation, talking about goals for family planning/if you would like to have children would also be an important conversation to have as there might be a few more factors to consider if fertility was impacted. Most importantly, you deserve to be with someone who does not view a history with cancer as a burden, so educating people about medical concerns is okay, but take time to find someone who is accepting of you as you are :). (Also, I don't believe there is a link between hodgkin's lymphoma and AIDS, but you can get testing done to see if that is something of concern.)

My husband & I will be celebrating our marriage of 11 years this year. He has been the most supportive, patient, & understanding gentleman through my seven years with cancer. When we were dating in 2011 I was diagnosed with undetermined colitis. I guess that was a good relationship test you could say. For five years it was managed and during that time we were able to get married and have a little boy with a little girl on the way. I was 25 years old when I was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer, three weeks after I had my beautiful daughter, & my wonderful son who was only one at the time. I have been receiving immunotherapy for the last six years going on seven now and have been doing well. When we met our future plan looked different than we thought it would be but that’s just another good reason to find someone who will go through those peeks and valleys with you.

I don’t have information for you about the risk factors of fertility, life expectancy, or genetics but these are good questions. @annalise had wonderful advice too. I believe you can find someone that’s just for you.

I am married to a lymphoma survivor

Hi Nicole and welcome to Connect. @ptljesus, the original poster of this discussion had so many questions regarding how having lymphoma would impact a marriage such as what are the risk factors..like life span, child-birth, genetic transfer to baby, etc.
Would you mind sharing a little more about your story? Was your partner diagnosed before or after you were married? How has the lymphoma diagnosis and treatment impacted both of your lives? Is your partner in remission?

@loribmt My spouse was diagnosed with lymphoma in his mid-thirties, after we were married and had one child. The lymphoma treatment and diagnosis was a challenge because we both had to take time off from work for treatment and recovery. It takes some additional financial planning to be prepared for that. We are also worried that it will someday come back, so we make sure to enjoy the time we have together and plan for possible recurrence. He completed chemotherapy and stored sperm before treatment in case his fertility was impacted. My husband has been in remission for 2 years now, and for the most part, no one would be able to tell he ever had cancer. He did need to get vaccinated for pneumonia and shingles at a younger age. He takes longer to recover from illnesses.

Since remission, we have travelled to Italy and and Iceland with no problems. His fertility recovered and we naturally conceived. I wondered about the genetic risks to baby after chemo and met with a genetic counselor. They did not raise any concerns about a past lymphoma in the father. We had a healthy baby one year ago. Lymphoma can be different for everyone, but we have had a really good outcome so far. It is possible to have a great life after surviving lymphoma.

@nicolecodega Thank you for this encouraging update about your husband’s journey with lymphoma. Sharing experiences like his can really help others who are facing a similar situation. It’s so heartwarming to know, that after all the medical drama of the previous years, life is returning to near normal. Aww, and congratulations are in order for the arrival of your newest member of the family! I’m sure this little bundle felt like an absolute miracle!! 🥰
Happy New Year…Wishing you and your family continued good health!

May I ask what treatment your husband received?