Marleni Garcia: Finding Her Voice During Lymphoma Treatment at 31

If you feel something, say something: facing lymphoma at 31

Eight days after her 31st birthday, Marleni learned that the pain and shortness of breath she had been experiencing were caused by a large tumor in her chest. As she faced treatment for what she soon learned was a diagnosis of Lymphoma, now too there was uncertainty on things that before seemed pretty certain - school, relationships, fertility and the future she was building.

“Everything was just hitting me all at once. But having a strong support system is what kept me going.”

Cancer was the last thing on my mind

When I turned 31, cancer wasn't something I was thinking about.

I was in college pursuing my education degree and working as an assistant preschool teacher because I love working with children. I was also at the beginning of a new relationship. My life was moving forward.

Then, eight days after my birthday, everything changed.

For a while, I had been dealing with pain in my neck and shoulder. Eventually, it traveled down my arm and became especially bad at night. I tried the kinds of things you try when you assume you've pulled a muscle or slept the wrong way - pain relievers, heat, even buying a new pillow.

Because I worked with young children and had a physically demanding job, I thought maybe I had hurt myself at work.

Cancer never crossed my mind.

The pain eventually spread into my chest. I became increasingly tired and short of breath. At first, I even wondered whether I had COVID. Then one week, my breathing became dramatically worse. I felt like I was suffocating.

That's when I went to the emergency room at Temple University Hospital.

Doctors discovered a tumor in my chest measuring about 9.4 centimeters. It was pressing against my lungs and affecting my airway. Soon after, I was diagnosed with lymphoma and my cancer journey started at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

I had no family history of cancer. I didn't know anyone in my family who had gone through it. I remember thinking, How could this be happening to me?

Now I understand that being young doesn't mean cancer can't happen.

Making decisions about more than cancer.

Hearing about treatment was frightening because I was learning not only what may help treat the cancer, but also what that treatment could mean for the rest of my body, my life, and my future. At 31, it all felt especially big.  

Luckily, at Fox Chase Cancer Center there is a Young Adult Cancer Program designed specifically to help patients like me, younger adults under the age of 40, navigate both our personal concerns and our treatment. The team connected me with the support I needed. For me, one of the more unexpected things I am grateful for was an explanation of options to protect my reproductive health during treatment.  

There was a lot to process, but in the end, it was simple. “I want to live,” I remember thinking. “I want to continue life with my family and be there for my loved ones.”

Learning to speak up.

One of the biggest things cancer taught me was how important it is to advocate for yourself.

During my diagnosis, I needed two biopsies. While in recovery, I was asked to move from one bed to another. I knew I couldn't.

I told them, “I'm not moving until I get medication.”

Before cancer, I might have been nervous about speaking up that strongly. But doctors and nurses can't feel what you're feeling. They can't know everything that's happening inside your body unless you tell them.

That experience gave me a message I especially want other young adults to hear: If you feel something, say something.

That applies before a diagnosis, too. If pain doesn't go away, if something keeps getting worse or if your body is telling you something isn't right, don't dismiss it simply because you're young.

And once you're receiving care, don't stop asking questions.

Sometimes people my age worry, What are people going to think? Am I overreacting? Should I really say something?

Say it. Your medical team is there to answer your questions. I know my team at Fox Chase was for me.

The small things that didn't feel small.

Cancer treatment can make your world feel very cold and clinical very quickly - tests, medications, procedures, appointments.

What I remember just as clearly, though, are the human moments.

During treatment at Fox Chase, I was having terrible hot flashes and sweating constantly. One of my nurses saw how uncomfortable I was and found a fan for me.

It sounds like such a small thing. It wasn't.

I kept that fan with me for the rest of the visit. When I came back for another treatment and saw that nurse again, I made sure to thank him. His kindness stayed with me.

That was my experience with so many members of my care team. I can't point to just one person who made a difference because there were so many. They were always there when I needed something.

A doctor who made it easier to ask questions.

I also built a strong relationship with my oncologist, Daniel Stapor, MD.

I can be nervous and shy, especially when I'm talking about something difficult. Dr. Stapor made it easy for me to talk about what I was experiencing and to ask questions about my treatment.

Whenever something changed, he explained it to me.

At one point during treatment, I developed severe mucositis - painful sores in my mouth and throat that sometimes made it difficult to eat for days. After one particularly difficult episode, I went to the hospital for help.

The following day, Dr. Stapor called me.

He hadn't been the doctor who treated me in the hospital. He was simply checking to see how I was doing and whether I needed anything. That phone call meant a lot to me.

Cancer can make you feel as though your whole life has become nothing but appointments and treatments. Having a doctor who remembered that there was a person living through all of it made a big difference.

Eight months in remission - and looking forward

I was diagnosed in 2025. At the time of telling this story, I was eight months in remission.

When you're diagnosed with cancer as a young adult, it interrupts a time when you're supposed to be figuring out so many other things - your education, your work, your relationships, perhaps whether you want a family.

Cancer doesn't wait until your life is settled.

That's why I hope other people my age know that they don't have to navigate everything quietly or by themselves. There are support groups, health care professionals and other resources available. You have to find the right team, the right support – and then be willing to lean on them.

Cancer looks different on everyone, but it also changes everyone. I wanted to share my story because I hope it can help somebody else who finds themselves in a similar situation.

It's not easy. But we can push through it. Especially when you have the right team, and support, by your side.