As you probably figured our by now, my name Rachael Yahne and I‘m 17 years old. I have Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a type of cancer commonly found in teens and seniors.

When we found it, I was in stage four, and the cancer had already spread to the lymph nodes in my neck, armpits and spleen. There was also a large mass in my chest that was pressing on my heart, keeping my heart at a constantly fast pace and stopping my lungs from being able to take a full breath in. My family and I spend months looking for an answer to what was wrong with my body, and by the time we found out I had cancer, it was time to get to work, and FAST. My mother, Brenda, and I flew down to LA to meet with an oncologist named Dr. Wolin who works out of Cedar-Sinai cancer center. We knew right away he was the doctor for me. Within a week, my mom and I moved down to California and started chemotherapy. I’m on a regimen of chemo called BEACOPP that will last approximately 16 weeks. Each session of chemo last two weeks. I generally do one week of actual chemo, and then have a week of vacation before starting my next session. So all in all, doing chemo is pretty easy, and things with Dr. Wolin are going very smoothly.

So here I am, far from home, away from my dad, Richard, and my two big brothers Ryan and Kevin, who I miss more than words can explain. My mom and I live with her parents, Don and Marilyn Blincow of Rancho Cucamonga. They’ve made us feel very at home and my grandparents from my father’s side live only a few miles away. My grandma Sarabel Yahne is a cancer survivor from just last year and she and I have a very special bond as we go through these tough times. Even with these struggles, life is still wonderful for me and I still love life. I’m having a wonderful time in California and you can learn more about my daily events on my blog. So thanks for visiting Rachaelyahne.com, and go explore the site and have some fun! Check out my photo gallery to see pics of me with all my new fabulous wigs and hats, or learn more about my doctor by clicking “About My Doctor”. See what creative things I’ve been up to on Rachael’s projects, and don’t forget to sign my guest book!!!