Graduate Student, Cancer Survivor Committed to Research and Advocacy

In 2020, Chris Farrell ’16, ’23 MPA noticed his neck was swollen, and he saw a swollen lymph node above his collarbone. He’d also been experiencing fatigue, and he’d lost weight, so he went to the doctor. His diagnosis of stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma changed his life.

A type of cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma affects the lymphatic system. Despite completing six months of chemotherapy followed by a month of radiation, a scan in January 2021 indicated Farrell’s cancer had returned. He then completed another two months of intense chemotherapy, then underwent a stem-cell transplant the following May.

After spending a month in the hospital, Farrell began a maintenance immunotherapy treatment, which finished this past June. He is now in remission.

“My mission is to now play a small part in the effort to end blood cancers, and, really, any cancers,” he said. “I also want to be a support system for others who are going through treatment. I know I had a lot of questions and fears when I was first diagnosed. I would like other patients to know that they can come to me.”

‘We all know someone who has been affected by cancer’

Farrell is organizing a team to walk and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's upcoming Light the Night event in Norwalk, Conn. The event, which will be held at Calf Pasture Beach on October 8, raises money for research, advocacy, and support for patients and their families. Farrell hopes to raise $5,000 for the organization.

“I chose this organization because they saved my life,” he said. “The money they raise goes to research new drugs and therapies to cure blood cancers. Without it, the chemotherapy drugs and stem-cell transplant I received over the past two years probably would not exist. They equip oncologists and scientists with the tools they need to succeed.”

A community relations specialist for Eversource, Farrell earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University, and he is now a candidate in the University’s Master of Public Administration program. He’s grateful for the support he’s received as a member of the University community, and he’s eager to make an impact in the wider community through his fundraising and advocacy initiatives.

“We all know someone who has been affected by cancer,” he said. “If we all sacrificed a small amount of time or money to beating this disease, it would not stand a chance.”