Linda Palmer

My name is Linda Palmer. I have been married to my husband Miland for 25 years. I am the mom of two beautiful humans, Emma (21) and Mia (17). I am a 5th grade teacher in Davis County. We love theater and have participated in community theater for about 10 years.

My cancer journey started in June of 2022. I was having issues with eating and drinking, I couldn’t keep anything down, I went to the ER and had some tests done. The CT scan showed 2 tumors and some “sketchy” lymph nodes. I had emergency bowel resection surgery. They removed the tumors and lymph nodes for testing. The results came back and it showed that I had stage 4 Large B cell Lymphoma. I immediately got an appointment with an oncologist, who referred me to another group of oncologists that specialize in blood cancers. I had 6 cycles of chemo, 5 days inpatient and 16 days at home for each cycle. We thought all the cancer was gone, but there was a shadow on my spine, so they did and MRI and found that the lymphoma had metastasized on to my spine. I had 3 rounds of radiation, and a back surgery to try to get the cancer off of my spine. Unfortunately these measures did not work and the tumor grew larger. In the middle of January I lost all feeling and movement from the chest down. We were then presented with a treatment called CarT. They take the T cells from you and have a lab modify them so they seek out cancer cells and kill them. They then transfuse them back into you. The side effects are pretty brutal. I was in the hospital for 4 weeks, then transferred to a rehab unit for 6 weeks. I had a follow up scan and the cancer was gone. I went for 6 months cancer free, but still in a wheelchair because of being paralyzed. I left rehab on March 18. I was home! I went in for a 6 month follow up and found out that the cancer was back. There were no other options for treatment. I also had some bone marrow issues, declining spinal issues and a bone infection caused by an open wound. I then decided that I would transition to palliative care. I am currently on hospice and trying to make the most of every day.

My family and I went on a bucket list trip to California, celebrated our 25th anniversary and visited with lots of family and friends. I have been so grateful for all the kind humans that have donated time, service, and money during the last year and a half. I am overwhelmed by the generosity. I am extremely excited to have been nominated and chosen to be a Hope Box Wall of Hope recipient.