Art, Humor, and Resilience in Alex’s Hodgkin Lymphoma Journey
Senior year is supposed to be about Friday night football, band practice, and time with friends. For 17-year-old Alex Landreau, a senior at West Forsyth High School, this year has included all of that. It has also included cancer.
Alex is an artist. She draws constantly, and she’s very good at it. She’s also a member of the West Forsyth marching band, where she’s found a second home. She’s quiet and gentle, but the people closest to her will tell you she’s tougher than she looks – and funnier, too. Her quick wit has gotten her family through some of the hardest days of the past year.
The Unexpected Turn
It started in January, during an ice storm, with what looked like a winter bug that wouldn’t go away. Alex’s mom, Carolyn, noticed a lump in her neck that kept changing, along with a slight wheeze everyone assumed was left over from the flu. An ultrasound, a CT scan, and a trip to the ER followed in quick succession, and the scans showed tumors in her lungs. A PET scan confirmed the diagnosis: nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL), a rare cancer of the lymph nodes and immune system known for its unusually large “popcorn” cells. By February, the family was reading through a two-page list of places the cancer had reached, from her head to her pelvis.
Treatment
Alex started treatment on March 9. Over the next several months, she went through six cycles of chemotherapy, with infusion days that ran seven and a half hours at the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The side effects were hard. Her heart rate spiked. She was exhausted all the time. Her hair fell out, and she eventually shaved her head. And for an artist, one side effect was especially cruel: the chemo left her fingertips numb and shaky, and for months she couldn’t hold a pencil steady enough to draw.
Her family was with her the whole way. Her 13-year-old brother, Carson, shaved his head, too. Local schools made room for the family’s new reality, and the drama program her dad, James, leads passed the hat and donated to CURE Childhood Cancer in her honor. Alex met all of it honestly and head-on. She didn’t spend much time on “why me,” and she found the good parts wherever she could.
A New Season
The chemo worked. Alex finished treatment in June and is easing back into senior year. She’s attending school part-time and managing her own schedule. She’s back in marching band, and she walked out onto the field for Senior Night. This fall, the numbness in her hands finally started to fade, and she’s drawing again – slowly, but she’s drawing. Her hair is coming back in soft curls, and in December she’ll ring the bell to mark the end of treatment.
Still Laughing
Through all of it, Alex never lost her sense of humor. When her hair started growing back in a short, textured crop, she saw the joke right away: this Halloween, she’s going as Eleven from Stranger Things. A girl with a buzz cut who’s a lot stronger than anyone expects? It fits.
Alex, we’re so proud of you – your art, your humor, and the way you’ve handled this year. We can’t wait to see what you do next.
Join Us in Honoring Alex and Her Family
CURE invites you to celebrate Alex and her family in person at the 7th Annual Ring the Bell Benefit on November 4 at Glover Park Brewery in Marietta. It’s an evening to honor families like the Landreaus and to raise support for children and families going through cancer treatment right now.
