“I was diagnosed with Stage II Lymphoma in October of 2014. The lengthy name of whatever I had I have since forgotten, praise God. But whenever he called me on that Friday night and said ‘They think you have such-and-such, and such-and-such. And I said ‘That’s a lot..’

One of the sources of anxiety when I was in Ohio was the plan there was to not do any scans until I felt sick again. That was not exciting because I felt like that was a very passive, reactive approach.

When I came to West and was told that I would get twice annual scans for the first two years, I was grateful for that because it seemed progressive. It felt like us getting out ahead of this thing and really being proactive.

The support at West has been unbelievable, and that’s important. You don’t want to feel like you’re sick, you don’t want to feel like a customer. There’s not any other feeling than family when you’re in that building.

Fortunately, I’ve been more of a support-giver here than a receiver because I have fortunately been in great health. When I came to West, I was really excited to bring “Victor Day” to this community. We invited all of the physicians, patients, and their families to come to a game where we could just love them and encourage them and celebrate them. So often we talk about those we lose to cancer, so often we talk about survivorship, but we wanted to really love on the people that were currently facing this challenge and their support network.

We took a big picture after the game with a banner where everyone hugged and encouraged one another, so I was really excited to pay it forward because I think it positively impacts a community when we’re able to do that.

I’m Danny O’Banion and I’m a West Cancer Center Victor, Not Victim.”

 

Share Your Story

With every fighter there is a story, and with every story, an inspiration to fight on. Your story can be the difference in the life of another cancer fighter like you. We invite patients of the West Cancer Center, past and present, to share stories here. If you would like to share your story, please contact West Cancer Center’s Marketing Department.