Celebrity News
Survivor winner, Ethan Zohn in new cancer fight
As we reported in May, ‘Survivor’ winner, Ethan Zohn was diagnosed with a form of Hodgkins Lymphoma and not doing too well. For the last three months the treatments progressed, and the 35-year old was declared over the worst — His Doctors were hopeful and the cancer was basically gone.
And now it’s come back.
Last month, Ethan seemed in the clear, “I was off chemo,” he says. “I was running up to 7-miles a day, preparing for the New York Marathon. I visited the family and was feeling great.” he tells People.
The intense chemotherapy Ethan endured back in May had reduced a mango-sized tumor to the size of a pea. But on August 26, his doctor called – Some CAT-scans last month had uncovered bad news, “There was re-growth,” he says. “Two nodes in a new location…And that’s rare. It was a complete punch in the face.”
Bringing their best game, Ethan’s doctors have now ordered a stem cell transplant. Officially called a “Risk-adapted, high dose chemo-radiotherapy and stem-cell transplantation,” {Gotta love these Docs and their snappy titles??] the procedure, which Ethan calls simply, ‘hitting the reset button on my body,’ will wipe out his immune system, then restart it from scratch.
He did stage one last week, and was so exposed to infection his girlfriend, fellow Survivor winner Jenna Morasca, had to wear a mask and thick gloves. Stage two next month will be more of the same, “I will get high-dose radiation twice a day for 14 days,” Zohn calmly explained. Doctors will then also harvest some stem cells for later re-use.
For the final stage, now planned for December, Ethan will be confined to the hospital for a month, enduring severe chemotherapy which will reduce both his blood-cell counts to zero, at which point the stem cells will be introduced, thereby refitting his body with non-cancerous cells.
At least…that’s the theory.
“Then I’m cured!” Ethan said brightly, in an e-mail to friends. “Easy as 1, 2, 3…4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9….1,000,000.”
And despite this long, uphill battle Ethan still seems upbeat, “Whatever things are thrown at you, you’ve got to battle through with a smile on your face,” he says. “And the important people in your life around you.”
Spare a prayer for him, guys — Ethan now needs some truly great luck.
Ethan- I want you to know I am praying for you, I watched you on Survivor and when I saw an article about your fight I was truly sad. I to am a cancer survivor, but what got me about the article was the similarity’s before our diagnosis, I also had very itchy skin and severe night sweats, I was eventually diagnosed with MALT Lymphoma another rare type of cancer..I admire you spirit and fight. I know there may be moments where you feel very alone even with the best support system around you- but please remember these moments WILL pass and always know in the back of your mind there is someone like me who knows the fight you are fighting and the battle that you will WIN!!! Because you Ethan are the ULTIMATE SURVIVOR!! God Bless you and I will keep you in my prayers:)