“Well, it is cancer,” was not what Hannah Swanson, senior in dietetics, expected to hear from her doctor as a 21-year-old.

The weekend after Spring Break 2011, Swanson said she experienced severe chest pains that made it difficult for her to breathe and would not allow her to sleep through the night. After a feverish weekend, Swanson said she decided to go to the doctor.

Doctors at the hospital in her hometown of Nevada, Iowa, suggested she get a CAT scan when X-rays showed shadows between her esophagus and lungs. The write-ups of the scan showed masses in multiple areas, telling Swanson it could be cancer.

On March 28, 2011, Swanson was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer of the lymph nodes.

Hannah’s diagnosis was not a death sentence.

Anya Sibunka, the nurse supervisor at the Bliss Cancer Center at Mary Greeley Medical Center said Hodgkin’s is a very curable disease because it responds well to treatments.

Swanson started chemotherapy in early April. When she tried to shower, her hair would fall out in clumps. Often she would not actually shower and only used dry shampoo.

Most of the time, she said she kept her hair in a bun, or “sported the hulk Hogan look” – a hat that would cover her receding hairline with the rest pulled into a ponytail. After she had lost a significant amount of hair, Swanson had her brother, Caleb Swanson, shave her head.

Caleb said that he and his sister have always been pretty close, and that she wanted him to shave her head for her because she could trust him. He said it was hard for her to shave her head, but would joke about it a lot with her friends.

“My friends and I had a lot of fun with [my] wig,” Swanson said. She then told a story about being pestered by a guy at a bar, and her friends whipped the wig off her head to drive him away. “That really freaked him out,” Swanson said, chuckling.

If Swanson had not responded to chemo, she would have had to go through radiation, but the treatment took.

“It never once crossed my mind that I would die from it, but that’s the first thing my mom was scared of,” Swanson said.

Marlys Swanson, Hannah’s mother, said it’s “every parent’s nightmare.”

“It’s something you never anticipate – you can’t anticipate,” Marlys said. “I can’t put it into words. It’s very scary. It’s every single bad feeling you can have piled up on top of you at one time.”

John Swanson, Hannah’s father, agreed and said you hear parents say “I wish it were me” all the time, but said he really did feel that way.

“You feel so helpless,” John said. “All you can do is watch them go through what they’re going through…you feel like there’s nothing you can do.”

Both parents said Hannah seemed to take the news better than both of them. John said the first few days were difficult – not knowing what it was, having no definite answers.

“Once she got an answer, she realized she knew what it was and had to deal with it,” he said. “I thought it was amazing how she handled it.”

Marlys said at first it seemed Hannah did not know where to turn, and there were a lot of tears and sadness, but she was tough through everything.

“She had it under control very quickly, I think,” Marlys said. “Hannah has always been such a positive person. When she decided to be positive, we decided we were gong to be positive.”

Alex Payton, senior in operations and supply chain management, and a close friend of Hannah’s, agreed that Hannah has always been extremely optimistic.

“She’s always looking on the bright side of things,” Payton said. “She was obviously pretty upset at first – it was hard news for her to take – but since she’s so optimistic, she knew she’d make it.”

Not only were Hannah’s family staying positive, but her doctors and nurses were also very optimistic.

“We try to look at every patient’s unique situation and find ways to find the positive and to offer that hope,” Sibunka said. “Let’s face it, [patients] don’t feel very good and when they’re going through this, we understand they aren’t always going to be smiling. It’s our job to try and bring smiles to them. I really don’t remember Hannah coming in without a smile.”

Marlys said there were disappointments along the way, where Hannah would get down for a day or so but then she would “bring herself back.” Marlys said Hannah’s mantra throughout the treatment was “it’s just a bump in the road.”

Payton said the weeks following treatments were always hard because Swanson said she would feel sick and helpless. Hannah and Payton would spend most of their time staying in and watching movies instead of going out because Hannah would be extremely exhausted.

“She’d sit in a chair and you could see her color drain as she took the treatments,” Marlys said. “You could pretty much see it suck the life out of her.”

Marlys said as treatments progressed, it got harder and harder for her to go; each treatment drained her more and more.

“It was really hard,” Hannah said. “I can deal with the physical pain and fatigue, but the hardest part was emotional. The steroids to help with the pain make you crazy. I would cry for no reason…I just never felt like doing anything. The fatigue gets so bad you don’t even want to watch TV, you just want to lay there.”

Hannah said she believes this is what was the most difficult for her friends, especially seeing someone their own age diagnosed.

Payton said seeing someone Hannah’s age diagnosed gave him a new perspective and made him realize not to take anything for granted.

Even though it was difficult for Hannah Swanson’s friends to see someone so young diagnosed with cancer, she said they never pitied her, and, in fact, would often make jokes. Because the diagnosis did not have a cause, Swanson said they would make jokes about how she got it:

“Oh that’s probably why you got cancer, Hannah, you should probably stop doing that.”

Hannah said she never took offense to the jokes.

“It’s kind of how I got through it.”

Along with the support of her friends and family, Hannah became more involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) because she wanted to increase awareness of the blood cancer.

She said she looked for volunteer opportunities that she could do from home and had long-term times to do them, which led her to LLS.

Every year, LLS hosts a walk called “Light the Night” to fundraise for research on leukemia and lymphoma. Hannah said her true joy is baking, so to fundraise for “Light the Night,” she spent her summer baking cookies.

“Light the Night” takes place in October and does not start until after dark. After the sun goes down, three different colored balloons are lit: white for survivors, red for friends and family and gold to remember those who have passed away from a blood cancer.

Each person carries corresponding colored balloons that describe their status as they walk. Along the walk there is entertainment and music. When the night is over, fireworks light up the sky.

“It’s a lot different from other walks,” Hannah said. “For me, more emotional, but a happy emotional.”

Payton walked with Hannah in “Light the Night” last year.

“It was cool,” Payton said. “There were a ton of people there…it was amazing to see how many people had cancer – hundreds of people with white balloons. It’s amazing to see the support, and it’s a lot of fun…it’s a great way for people to get their mind off the sad parts of things.”

With her “cookies to cure cancer,” and 70-person team, “Lymphomaniacs,” for “Light the Night” Hannah raised $3,500 for LLS.

“It’s important to me to give in a monetary way to give back to a cause that I know uses the money for good,” Hannah said. “They do a lot of good and are responsible for a lot of cancer research.”

70 percent of all money donated to LLS is given back to research, Swanson said. This is why she believes her diagnosis is so favorable, and why she is “addicted to raising money for them.”

This summer, Hannah will be working with LLS as a patient ambassador.

Jessica Menken, campaign manager for LLS, said that Hannah will be the “face of the campaign this year.” She will speak to different corporations, telling her story to seek sponsorships.

“She’s the whole package,” Menken said. “She has an amazing story and communicates it well, she’s beautiful, sweet, and kind…I think she’s an absolute inspiration – not just for people who have suffered from cancer, but to anyone – even for myself – just to see her stamina, drive, and positive outlook is very encouraging…She’s a wonderful person, beautiful on the inside and out.”

After 6 months of chemotherapy while still remaining in school, Hannah ended treatment September of 2011. She has been cancer-free since, and graduated this May in dietetics.

“Before I was diagnosed I knew I wanted to come to college and become a dietitian. Now I want a job that gives me more satisfaction. For me, I don’t think I can be put back into a hospital every day after being there for so long,” Swanson said. “I’m still looking for a job in the nutrition area, but in the non-profit sector…something that actually helps others and not just myself. I know how good that feels to be helped out in a crazy time in your life.”

Sibunka said she hopes Hannah’s dream to help others will help other patients.

“I really hope she can use her experience to pay it forward to other cancer patients,” Sibunka said. “Most nurses haven’t had cancer themselves… any time you personally experience it, you can use that to show empathy to the people you’re trying to help. You truly understand what it’s like to walk in their shoes.”

Marlys said Hannah is trying to relax more, and to take any opportunities life hands her.

“I tend to worry about everything. I’ve been trying to be more laid back…No matter how much I worry, nothing is going to change it so I just have to accept that things are going to turn out however they do,” Hannah said. “Going through treatment, all I wanted was that normalcy back. Now I have it and I just want to embrace it. “

Hannah said that being young and having cancer “sucked,” and that she would not ever want anyone else to go through it, but that if she could choose whether or not to go through it again, she would.

“I think it’s helped me for the better,” Swanson said. “It really puts things into perspective.”