NYC Cop, 23, Says Unexpected Cancer Diagnosis as a Teen Awakened His Faith – How Faith Can Positively Influence Your Cancer Journey

How Faith Can Help Cancer Patients’ Journey to Recovery

• A New York City police officer diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma as a teenager says during his cancer journey, he grew closer to his Muslim faith. A study published in Cancer includes data that found “69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health” compared to “only 45% of the general U.S. population.”
• Blood cancers generally start from the same blood cell but differ in symptoms and severity. The three main types are leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
• Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are the main types of lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common. People with Hodgkin lymphoma have too many large abnormal cells called Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells, which distinguish them.
• Treatment depends on the type of lymphoma you have and how advanced it is. Treatment options typically include chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant.
• New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans previously spoke with SurvivorNet about how faith can help people cope with the complex emotions that come with cancer.

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event and can even bring some patients and their families closer to their faith. This was the case for Kareem Khalil, 23, a newly minted New York City police officer, who was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he was just a teen. He and his family relied on prayer to keep their mind and spirits in a good place while he underwent treatment. “I had to reassess myself where I stand religiously because I thought I wasn’t going to make it out alive throughout chemotherapy,” Khalil told the New York Post.

Khalil was just 16 years old when he was diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. “I had stage 4 Hodgkins, and it was a lot to deal with mentally. It had me soul-searching early on. At 16 years old, you don’t really think about that stuff,” Khalil explained. Khalil told News12 The Bronx that his mom was with him “every single day” during chemo. Lymphoma is a cancer of your immune system. It starts in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels, ducts, and nodes that run throughout your body. This system drains excess fluid and waste from your tissues and drains them into your bloodstream. It also produces disease-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes that defend your body against infections. “I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types,” Dr. Elise Chong , medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, told SurvivorNet. WATCH: Understanding biopsies for non-Hodgkin lymphoma Khalil underwent six months of chemotherapy. His treatment caused him to be home-schooled. While on the constant side of his supportive parents, the family leaned on their Muslim faith as the then-teenager fought through treatment. “The cancer was the biggest turning point of my life, the reason why I am the way I am today and the way I treat other people,” Khalil said.

Expert Resources on Lymphomas

• 6 Symptoms of Lymphoma & How to Spot Them; Radio Host Dan Bongino Recently Said He May Have This Type of Cancer
• All about Biopsies for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• All About Biopsies to Diagnose Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• 7 Sneaky Symptoms of Hodgkin Lymphoma: Doctor Told One Teen Her Itchy Rash Later Diagnosed at Stage 4 Was 'Nothing to Worry About'
• ‘Faith, Family, and Friends’ Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
• 7 Cancer Survivors Share How Gratitude, Faith, & Seeking the Good In Life Help Give Them Strength
• Faith Perspective: Opening Yourself Up to Others After a Cancer Diagnosis

How Faith Can Help Your Journey

Having faith can help keep your spirits high even during times of struggle. SurvivorNet experts also say it helps cancer patients during their cancer journeys. New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans previously spoke with SurvivorNet about the importance of finding ways to cope with the complex web of feelings you may be experiencing after a challenging health diagnosis, such as cancer or a threatening tumor. WATCH: SurvivorNetTV produced a special episode, "Turning to Faith," in which we followed the journeys of four women and how they turned to faith to get through their diagnoses. "It's important to reach out in a simple prayer to God, even if you've never prayed before, you don't know what to say, a heartfelt plea, 'God, help me, be with me,'" Pastor Evans told SurvivorNet. "You can reach out to God, and you can reach out to people, your friends and family, and say, 'I can't do this on my own. I need you.' "It's in that willingness to be open and to receive that we can find something deeper that we never would've encountered without this hardship," Evans continued. A study published in Cancer includes data that found "69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health" compared to "only 45% of the general U.S. population." Cancer psychologist Dr. Andrew Kneier helped co-author "Coping with Cancer: Ten Steps toward Emotional Well-Being." He also co-authored a column published by Stanford Medicine with Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman, director of spiritual care at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. The two add more context to the impact faith has on cancer patients. "A person's faith or spirituality provides a means for coping with illness and reaching a deeper kind of inner healing," Kneier and Silberman said. "Coping means different things to different people: it can involve finding answers to the questions that illness raises, it can mean seeking comfort for the fears and pain that illness brings, and it can mean learning how to find a sense of direction at a time of illness. Religious teachings can help a person cope in all of these dimensions," Kneier and Silberman continued.

Understanding the Rick Factors for Lymphomas

Lymphomas are among the three main types of blood cancers, along with leukemia and myeloma. Although they generally start from the same kind of blood cell, lymphomas differ in symptoms and severity. Lymphomas can be tricky because there are no screening tests for this disease. However, lymphomas do present symptoms. The most common symptoms include:

• Swollen glands in your neck, armpit, or groin
• Fever
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Weight loss without trying
• Feeling tired
• Swelling in your belly

“The patients who are diagnosed with lymphoma early, typically, it’s luck,” medical oncologist Dr. Elise Chong said. Patients diagnosed early may have presented a symptom prompting a doctor check-up. A scan result or blood test can also lead to a diagnosis. Risk factors for lymphomas exist, which can increase your chances of this cancer. The risk factors include:

• Have been infected with the HIV or Epstein-Barr virus
• Had an organ transplant
• Have a family history of lymphoma
• Have been treated with radiation or chemotherapy drugs for cancer in the past
• Have an autoimmune disease

Doctors confirm a lymphoma diagnosis first by asking about your symptoms and risk factors. Then, you’ll have a physical exam, looking for swelling in your lymph nodes and belly. Your doctor will try to rule out other causes, such as an infection, which may require that you get a blood test. The only way to confirm that you have lymphoma is with a biopsy — which involves removing a small piece of a lymph node for testing. Typically, your doctor won’t do it unless they have a strong suspicion that you have lymphoma. You might also need imaging tests such as an X-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) scan to determine what’s causing your symptoms and, if you do have lymphoma, its stage. According to the National Cancer Institute, chemotherapy is the main course of treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and in some cases, radiation may also be used. Some patients may be treated with immunotherapy or with a stem cell transplant, mainly if other treatments are unsuccessful. Surgery, not including biopsy and staging, is also rarely used to treat this disease.