“I had to survive”: A young mother’s cancer journey
“I saw this doctor, and I told her, ‘No one is listening to me. Can you just help me?’” Hodan recalled.
That physician ordered imaging and sent the results to Nicholas Torgerson, DO, a hematologist-oncologist with Allina Health Cancer Institute. He ordered a biopsy.
Stage 4
“I was right. I had stage 4. It was pretty bad,” Hodan said.
Hodan was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymph nodes or lymphatic system.
“At that moment, I felt like the world was messed up,” Hodan said. “Why would I have a newborn baby if I’m going to die of cancer? I felt like I didn’t have a choice. I had to survive.”
This was not Hodan’s first experience with cancer. She was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015 at age 15.
“I’d never heard of a Somali person who had cancer,” Hodan said. “It is a very taboo thing in the community where people hide it. They think someone who has cancer is cursed.”
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma is considered a rare cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
“It is generally viewed as curable, even at stage 4,” said Dr. Torgerson. “Hodgkin lymphoma most commonly occurs in adolescents and young adults, particularly those in their teens and 20s. It is less frequently diagnosed in people in their 30s and 40s, though we do see a second increase in cases among adults in their 50s to 70s.”
After completing treatment as a teen, Hodan thought cancer was behind her.
“I thought it was something you get once, and then you survive it. You just keep moving,” Hodan said.
Hodan was moving forward. She took some college courses, got married and started growing her family. By 2020, she’d had four consecutive clear cancer scans. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed what she’d hoped would be her fifth and final cancer checkup. In 2021, just weeks after giving birth to her son, she learned cancer had returned.
The cancer returns
“I met her shortly after the birth of her first child,” said Dr. Torgerson. “She had noticed a lump, along with symptoms that many people might not initially associate with lymphoma, but tests showed the cancer had returned.”
Since Hodan was still her 20s at the time, Dr. Torgerson knew preserving her fertility would be a priority, but they were up against the clock. Because her cancer was already stage 4, there was no time to freeze eggs. Treatment needed to begin quickly.
Dr. Torgerson suggested ovarian suppression therapy, a monthly injection to temporarily shut down her ovaries. It’s a method typically used to give breast cancer patients a chance of protecting their fertility.
“Chemotherapy affects active cancer cells. The hope was that with my reproductive system shut down, the effects of chemo would not be as harsh and destructive,” Hodan said. “He didn’t guarantee my fertility would be preserved. He said it would give me a chance.”
Because her disease had returned, Hodan was not able to receive the same treatment protocol as before.
“She underwent high-dose chemotherapy, which eliminated her bone marrow and the cancerous cells,” said Dr. Torgerson. “Previously collected healthy cells were then reinfused to restore her bone marrow.”
Successful treatment
The treatment worked. Hodan beat cancer a second time. Her second child, a daughter, was born a year and a half after she completed treatment. Now, at age 26, Hodan is a mother of two and is once again nearing the five-year milestone after cancer.
“We are very thankful for Dr. Torgerson and everyone,” Hodan said. “He really understood that I was young and had so many things planned for the future.”
Giving back
Hodan said the care and support she received from Dr. Torgerson inspired her to use her story to help others. Through her nonprofit, United Step Cancer Foundation, she connects people to resources and supports those undergoing cancer treatment.
“She went through a very difficult experience and was able to come through it in a positive way,” said Dr. Torgerson. “She went on to start a foundation to help members of the Somali community in Minnesota navigate the health care system. That’s very meaningful.”
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