SUDBURY—While she is facing a very tough battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Madison Rolston, who is from Little Current and now lives in Sudbury, and will be having an allo stem cell transplant in June (for a new immune system), she remains upbeat while trying to raise funds through GoFundMe to help with expenses and for Hodgkin’s lymphoma research. To help raise funds she will swim a lap for every $1 she raises through May.
“We roll with the punches,” stated Ms. Rolston, who will turn 28 on June 3. “I was diagnosed in December 2022 with stage two Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It has been a lot, what a crazy ride this has been.”
“I personally feel that my treatments have been unsuccessful thus far, and there are not many options in terms of treatments for a person who has what I do,” said Ms. Rolston. “The transplant in June is probably the last cure for this disease. I have gone through chemotherapy treatments a couple of times and had an auto stem cell treatment (along with immunotherapy). That is why raising funds for further research is so important.”
“Since my diagnosis there has been a lot of unsuccessful treatments and I’m not so casually living with stage four cancer,” said Ms. Rolston. “In the last two-and-a-half years I’ve undergone three different chemotherapies and the auto stem cell transplant.”
“My allo stem cell transplant will take place in June, and is taking place thanks to my older brother, Zack, who also grew up on the Island and went to school there. He is now an officer with the Toronto police. My brother was a match in the system for the transplant, and when I asked him, he stated, ‘of course I’m going to do it.’ Neither of us are good with needles; I’ve probably been poked by a needle about 1,000 times over the past few years.”
“With this coming transplant, my mom and I have to go to Ottawa for four months, as they have the only hospital there doing these transplants. We’re lucky to have covered accommodations but could use a bit of extra help.”
“So, to keep it fun, and me fit, because that’s important for my transplant, I will swim a lap for every $1 I raise through May through the Laps for Lymphoma fundraising campaign,” said Ms. Rolston. She said if needed she will recruit some friends to help get them done. “I’ve been doing laps about four times a week and do about 100 in a session (2.5 kilometres) so I thought this would be a fun motivation for me as well to stay super healthy in preparation for my upcoming transplant. So, I will be swimming my butt off during the month of May.”
“I think it might be fun to also try to look at renting out a pool, so people who want to help out can come and swim and rack up some laps as well,” said Ms. Rolston. “I was thinking Espanola might be a nice place to do this, maybe get the pool for a couple of hours and have anyone that wants to come out swim some laps.”
“I have the best support system around, with family and friends helping out,” stated Ms. Rolston. “I think a good chunk of the funds that have been raised thus far have been from people on the Island,” she said noting over $14,000 has been raised thus far.
“I have met the stem cell team in Ottawa and will be asking them where the best place would be to put half the funds raised,” said Ms. Rolston. “I plan on donating half to Hodgkin’s lymphoma research, with all the treatments I’ve had not working I think funding in research for this disease is super important and using half for life expenses and such since this is all getting a bit expensive. Any support helps, even $2.”
Ms. Rolston said, “as a little thank you on my birthday (June 3) I will be doing a draw with everyone who donated and crochet them whatever they want, a blanket, flower bouquet, shirt, etc.”
“I’m feeling very motivated and in a good mental place right now,” added Ms. Rolston.
To support Ms. Rolston go to GoFundMe.com and search ‘laps for lymphoma.’