01/30/2026
Survivor tips from lymphoma survivor, Robert Medrano
I got my lymphoma diagnosis in 2021 and did my initial treatment at Stanford. Now my treatment is managed by Dr. Mazj. He’s a great doctor. In 2023, he recommended CAR T-cell treatment at UC Davis. I drove there, they took my cells out, it took two weeks for them to modify them to attack the cancer, then they infused them back into me. I stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks for intense observation. It’s a tough process. Then I also got COVID. I was in the ICU, and I got so tired, I couldn’t tell where I was anymore.
What got me through was my wife’s determination to get me home. I have to give her credit—there were times in the hospital when doctors said I was beyond help. But because of her faithfulness and persistence, she kept urging those doctors not to give up. Our friend also had his church congregation praying for us, which gave us strength during those difficult times.
They let me come home, but I needed to stay isolated. That’s not hard since we live in the foothills with very few people around. We prayed a lot. I read my bible at night, too. With God’s help, I’ve been able to recover.
I also had my animals. We have five dogs including a German Shepherd and a Saint Bernard. I had been training them before I got sick, and when I got home it gave me something to do. The dogs have their own hours, and it got me out of bed to feed them and take care of them. My lab would lay next to me, and that was comforting.
I needed to get my strength back and build up my muscles again, so I used an exercise machine and a stationary bike to get stronger. We live on a hillside with a steep grade, so getting down to the kennels to take care of the dogs is a workout too!
Each morning, I get up, I see the sunrise, see the sunlight creeping up on us over the hills, and I enjoy the freshness of the day. I get to appreciate my animals and the wild animals. All the critters. The coyotes howling at night. Even the rattlesnakes. I appreciate all nature so much.
I used to think being from the big city, going to the shopping center was important. Now, I love what we have, just seeing each day go by, watching the light, noticing the trees grow. We’ve survived the fires, and still have our home, and give thanks to God that we have what we have. I don’t need to have a fancy house. We appreciate the simple things in life.
