The official magazine for Alpha Xi Delta Fraternity, one of the oldest women's fraternities founded in 1893.
REALIZE YOUR POTENTIAL
You Think You're Invincible Until You're Not
HOW LEXI ROGERS, ELON '23, IS ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO ADVOCATE
It was the worst 21st birthday ever, recalls Lexi Rogers. Finishing her first round of chemotherapy right before her birthday wasn't exactly what she had planned, but today she is grateful to have her health.
It all started when Lexi started feeling sick while studying abroad in Sorrento, Italy, during her junior year as an Elon University student. Some swelling on the right side of her throat made her think she might have a pulled muscle in her neck. A doctor told her it was probably nothing to be alarmed about but encouraged her to get a thyroid scan when she returned home to Tennessee.
Out to Sea
Lexi (pictured center) during a chapter event at Elon University.
Two days before New Year's Day, she lost her voice and that's when worry started to set it. An ultrasound on her throat didn't show any issues, but later, Lexi would learn the lump she had been feeling was actually her thyroid that was being pushed out by a tumor.
"They were quite literally ultra sounding over my tumor since it grew up into my neck and displaced my thyroid," Lexi said.
More doctor appointments and tests led to a diagnosis of her right vocal cord being paralyzed. But, Lexi knew something was not right, and she needed to keep pushing for other opinions.
"I messaged my primary care. I was like, 'Hey, I think I have lymphoma! And she was like, 'I really don't think you do."
After more testing. Lexi finally received an answer while she was waiting at the airport to fly back to Elon for the spring semester. The diagnosis: A rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. PMBCL makes up 2% to 3% of all cases of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, according to the Thoracic Cancer journal. In 60 to 70% of cases, tumors are larger than 10 centimeters in diameter.
"I just opened it up and literally the only thing I saw was 'There is a large impeding mass," Lexi said. "I passed out in the airport."
According to the Mayo Clinic, lymphoma is cancer that affects the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is made up of organs, glands, tubelike vessels, and clusters of cells called lymph nodes. It's part of the body's germ-fighting immune system. Lymphoma can affect lymph nodes, blood, bone marrow, spleen, and other tissues throughout the body, such as in the gastrointestinal system, central nervous system, bones, or skin. For Lexi, her cancer started in her white blood cells, specifically her B-cells.