For Andrew and his family, nutrition and health have always played a key role in their lives. They are very active, and love to bike, swim and ski.

“We’re an eating family,” Andrew said. “Nutrition is a centerpiece in our family. We go to organic farms on the weekends to pick fresh fruits and vegetables. We love to cook, and the kids are all good at it too.”

Andrew didn’t realize how much nutrition would play a role in his life until he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was on medication for a skin condition, when he developed tremors in his hands. The first time he dismissed it, but when it began happening frequently, he became concerned and went to the emergency room.

“The doctors ran a lot of tests,” Andrew recalled. “The next morning, Dr. Alan Feiner walked into my room to tell me that he was an oncologist, and he thought I might have lymphoma.”

What followed that trip to the ER was six weeks of testing to confirm the diagnosis of lymphoma. When the results finally came back definitive, Andrew started a five-month regime of chemotherapy.

Andrew says that trusting your doctors and the care you’re receiving is very important, along with realizing that you play just as important of a role in your recovery as your doctors do.

“With cancer, the condition of your body helps dictate how you will do,” Andrew said. “You can exercise, remove stress and eat well. Your diet and food can help give you the ability to fight. ”

At the time, Andrew’s wife was studying for a degree in nutrition, and her knowledge of food and diet helped him immensely.

“I gained weight during chemo!” Andrew says. “You need a lot of whole foods and protein for energy, and you need to eat as much as you cn to keep your strength up. I wanted a lot of protein to give my body energy. I made sure there was whole food from every food group. The chemo can change your taste buds, so you have to find ways to make eating enjoyable and fun.”

After four and a half months of chemo, Andrew’s lymphoma was in remission. Since then, he attends cancer exercise classes at Rose three days a week and has a blood test every six months.

Andrew says that fighting cancer taught him about strength – that which he had himself, and also the strength of family and community. He also believes that there was a silver lining to his experience.

“I’m actually in better shape than I was before the cancer,” he says. “I’m eating well, and my level of awareness about my health, and my ability to manage my health is a lot more developed.”

The Rose “Surviving Well” Calendar is a 15-month calendar highlighting our cancer services, physicians, and some inspirational stories from our patients. Andrew is our survivor for December 2010. Click here to sign up to receive your FREE copy of the calendar.