A Fighting Illini

Local UIUC freshman discusses cancer battle in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

By Anna Hughes

Adrian Lam was weeks away from starting his freshman year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a healthy, active 18-year-old boy from the western suburbs both excited and nervous to take the next step in his life. While shopping for dorm essentials and planning classes to start on his mechanical engineering path, something felt off.

First, it was heartburn. That was normal, he thought.

Then, he developed some hip pain. He was a swimmer, so it made sense. That was probably normal, too.

But it got worse; he couldn’t keep food down. Then he couldn’t even eat.

His parents insisted it was time to go to the emergency room.

He was admitted for low hemoglobin, but it wasn’t long before a CT scan showed a mass in his stomach. Doctors soon found masses all over his body.

He was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on August 17, 2023. Instead of attending college, he was transferred to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. He started his first round of chemotherapy less than two weeks later.

“[The diagnosis was] a life-changing moment for me,” Lam said. “Obviously, I was really, really scared when I first heard of it.”

Due to the aggressive nature of Lam’s cancer, they had to start treatment right away. His oncology team started him on a high dose of chemotherapy and any medicine to help minimize the nasty side effects. To tackle an aggressive cancer, they had to take an aggressive approach.

Just weeks after the initial diagnosis, Lam started chemotherapy.

“I [would] get admitted to the hospital. And then they would deliver some chemo the whole time there, for all five days, Monday through Friday,” Lam recalled. “Like a day in the office, I guess,” he added, chuckling.
Lam had lost 30 pounds and experienced debilitating nausea to the point of not wanting to eat any food. He also experienced some rashes. But the most well-known side effect happened pretty quickly: hair loss.

“I remember I was showering. And then I tried to put shampoo in my hair, and all that came out was a bunch of hair. So it was pretty emotional,” Lam said. “Like my eyebrows fell off, my eyelashes, all the hair, it goes away. And it’s a pretty sad moment for me.”

His parents, Angela and Wilson, were by his side as he stared at the clumps of hair in his hands. It was clear to everyone that this nightmare was very, very real. But they didn’t falter. Lam said their support is why he made it through that first round of chemo and all five rounds after. They kept him sane in the weeks between treatments and made sure to lift his spirits whenever possible.

“My brother, mom, and dad were there for me. Even when I didn’t ask them to be there,” Lam said. “Especially my mom and dad; they would come to the hospital just to be there. They didn’t talk to me if I didn’t want to be talked to. They were just there for my comfort.”

Lam spent a good part of the last year isolated, undergoing treatments, scans, and tests. He became friends with familiar faces on his oncology staff, especially the nurses checking in. He had to fight the “FOMO” (fear of missing out) when he saw college parties on Snapchat and football games on Instagram. It was a reminder that he was dealt an unfair hand, yet he kept a positive attitude. He finished a lot of puzzles and played video games. His water polo teammates and friends who were still in high school visited when they could. All in all, he said that he, his family, and his medical team made the best out of a bad situation.

“I think [having cancer] might even be a blessing in disguise because I’ve really learned a lot,” Lam said. “I think people mature by going to college, but I feel I also have matured from experiencing this … [it] gave me a new perspective of life.”

Lam self-declares that he is in remission. After his second round of chemo, the PET scan showed almost no cancer remaining. After four more rounds, Lam is confident that it’s all gone. Still, it’s a waiting game to see if anything comes back. In the meantime, he just started his first year at UIUC and recently competed in a triathlon to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Although his cancer fight is reaching its likely end, that’s not the case for many of his fellow Lurie patients.

“It’s just a little bit heartbreaking [seeing the young patients at the hospital] because it made me feel even extra thankful that I got it at this age since I was able to comprehend stuff a little more maturely,” Lam said. “But it’s just really heartbreaking to see some children, maybe even newborn babies, that are in the hospital.”

The money Lam raised will go directly back to Lurie Children’s Hospital to support children and teenagers like him. He said he was thinking about his doctors and nurses while he was competing and all the work they’re doing to fight pediatric cancer every day.

“I just think these children are unfairly given some circumstances that may shorten their lives or may make their childhood incomplete,” Lam said. “I think targeting to end childhood cancer is important because we are preserving more life…children should be the main focus because, ultimately, these people are the future of our society. And if we can prolong their future, I think they’ll do a great deal of good.”

Every September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is recognized. For more information on Lurie Children’s Hospital, visit luriechildrens.org.

Lam and family at his high school graduation