GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dorothy Lynn Boddy, known to her family and friends as Lynn, has had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for over half her lifetime and has beat breast cancer twice. In October of this year, the 73-year-old from Glendale will be a survivor for 48 years.
“I’m very lucky to still be here,” she said.
Boddy was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, when she was 25.
“I don’t think they really know what causes it, but I might add that at the time I was living on a contaminated Air Force Base… but who knows,” said Boddy.
At that time, she underwent a lot of radiation.
“I had over 4,000 rads, I believe at the time, when I was 25 and now, my understanding is they don’t do more than like 1,000,” she said.
Boddy thinks the treatment back then led to late effects, which is one of the reasons she shares her story today: to spread awareness.
At 48, Boddy was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time. She was diagnosed again in her 60s.
“…and I just had skin cancer removed a month ago,” she added.
All these years later, Boddy feels like God was on her side.
“Yes, I am also the children’s minister at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Phoenix,” she said.
Boddy’s cancer journey hasn’t been easy, but she’s now in remission, getting health checkups regularly and enjoying time with her kids and grandkids.
She’s also part of a group of survivors, medical experts and authors called Hodgkin’s International, that will be meeting in Boston for an upcoming conference.
“I found out I had heart problems because of this group,” said Boddy.
The reality is hard to swallow, Boddy said. But she knows it could be much worse.
“The sad part is that there are people who don’t survive,” Boddy said. “…and they are so much younger than I am.”
That's why she’s staying optimistic and hoping to learn more about the late effects survivors may face because of earlier treatments.
“We can survive, and we can help each other,” said Boddy.
From here, she is still hoping for further investigation to be done at the Air Force Base where she lived, so she can get answers as to what caused her initial diagnosis.
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