In January, Nichol Green, an assistant registrar at The University of Southern Mississippi, celebrated her fourth birthday. This wasn’t her actual birthday, but her newest birthday – the day she was given a clean bill of health and was pronounced cancer free. Green was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) Diffuse Large B Cell, a very aggressive blood cancer, in December 2018.

As National Cancer Survivor’s Day is observed June 4, Green has come full circle in her cancer recovery journey. In April, she completed that circle when she and her furry sidekick, Blaze, returned to the Forrest General Cancer Center, where her treatments began, in an effort to give back. Blaze, a five-year-old Goldendoodle, is one of five certified therapy dogs on staff at Forrest General and a fluffy favorite.

That April day when Green and Blaze completed her journey and reentered the doors at the Cancer Center, she posted on Facebook, “Full circle, y’all. Blaze and I are giving back to the staff and patients, and I pray my testimony has an eternal impact.” It was an emotional visit.

In 2018, after six months of shoulder and neck pain, physical therapy, MRIs, X-rays, steroid injections, and Emergency Room visits, a chest X-ray revealed a large mass in Green’s chest, just above the heart and between the lungs. She was sent immediately to the ER where she was admitted to the hospital and underwent several tests and a biopsy where she was given a cancer diagnosis. Six rounds of chemotherapy started immediately, after which Cancer Center radiation oncologist, Sophy Mangana, MD, oversaw 20 days of radiation for Green, which wrapped up in June 2019.

“We were so excited because we thought we had gotten it all,” Green said. The tumor in Green’s chest had a great response to the chemo, but in August 2019, a new mass was discovered and was determined to be a relapse of NHL. Green underwent additional chemo to prepare for a stem cell transplant. But, unfortunately, the chemo caused the cancer to grow instead of shrink, which made her ineligible for the stem cell transplant.

Hematologist/Oncologist, John “Bo” Hrom, MD, FACP, worked with Green and the state lymphoma specialist in Jackson on a new treatment, CAR T cell therapy. When it was determined she was ineligible in Jackson, Hrom worked with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the country’s No. 1 ranked cancer center, to secure what would become Green’s life-saving treatment.

“Every time I’ve come back for an appointment, I ask Dr. Hrom if he’s had any other CAR T patients, and he hasn’t,” Green said, “which is good because it means that the initial lines of treatment worked for patients.”

Green said CAR T cell therapy is a very new treatment; so much so that five-year studies are just coming out. A person’s CAR T cells are made especially for each individual. The T cells are collected from your body and shipped to a specialized facility. There, the T cells are changed to CAR T cells that can create CARs, which are molecules designed to help CAR T cells find and fight cancer cells.

Green has been in remission for three years. She gets emotional talking about her first visit back to the Forrest General Cancer Center.  “The Cancer Center is where my heart is,” she said. “Being a patient here, I know what it’s like, and I know what joy Blaze can bring to patients. I know what their fears and anxieties are and how scary it can be. So, for me to be able to give back this simple act to patients to calm them, to refocus them, and to bring a smile to their face, it really means a lot to me.”

Green said Blaze has a naturally good disposition, which a lot of people recognized and thought he would be a natural as a therapy dog. “When I was going through treatments and was at home, he never left my side,” Green said. “Just because of his calmness and demeanor, someone encouraged me to pursue it. We did, and he passed with flying colors. Now we are able to serve our community in this capacity, and we really enjoy it.”

In addition to the Cancer Center, the duo also visit with staff and patients at Asbury Hospice House. “We are really excited to be a part of the Forrest General team,” Green said. “Now, I’m just trying to live out my purpose every day and use my testimony to give back as much as possible. EVERY DAY!”

To learn more about the Forrest General Hospital Cancer Center, visit forresthealth.org/services/cancer.