Olympian lymphoma survivor comes back stronger
By Paige Sherwood, Advocate to Eradicate Team Member | Feb 12, 2022
Snowboarder and lymphoma survivor Max Parrot wins the gold for Canada in men’s slopestyle on February 7, 2022 in Beijing. In 2018, he took the silver in Pyeongchang. Since winning his first medal, Parrot fought for more than just a title; he fought for his life.
Ten months after taking the silver, Parrot was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma--a rare cancer of the lymphatic system that typically affects young people.
After winning this past Monday, Parrot (age 27) recalls, “Three years ago exactly, at this particular date, I was laying down in the hospital bed, going through 12 treatments of chemotherapy…I had no more muscles, no more energy, no more cardio. I wanted to quit sometimes, because it was so hard just to get to the next morning. To be standing here three years later, and winning gold, that is completely crazy.”
Parrot exemplifies a great Olympian to his country and an advocate to those affected by lymphoma. He shows lymphoma patients that, despite encountering a setback, they can still achieve their goals, if not surpass them.
Lymphoma affects us all. We can stand as advocates and we don’t have to stand alone. Like Max, we can get up on our own podium and show the world what is possible.
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The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) focuses on researching lymphoma and serving those touched by the disease. Recognizing the need to focus on lymphoma amidst the many different forms of blood cancer, the organization formed in 1995. LRF's narrow focus on lymphoma gives it an advantage to conduct further research on all the 100+ subtypes. Since LRF was founded, it has contributed over $67 million in lymphoma-specific research.