I’m Krista Moon from Saginaw, Michigan, and I was diagnosed with “unicentric” Castleman’s Disease in 2018. My Dr. was examining me and noticed an enlarged lymph node in my neck. It was concerning because I had breast cancer in 2010 (BRCA 1, triple negative), so my first thought was a recurrence. The biopsy revealed Castleman’s Disease, which to me was a relief. I do not have any other symptoms, so I figured dealing with enlarged nodes is better than dealing with cancer. Who knows, though? Cancer can be cured.
I had another “bump” on my parotid gland that I noticed way back around 1995, which was ultimately a CD-infected node. It was very slow-growing: 20 years! So, I was hoping after the biopsy in 2018 that perhaps we could “wait and see.”
Unfortunately, the growth rate and the number of nodes impacted are increasing. They are regionally located in the right neck area. I’ve had three resection surgeries so far and am not currently taking any pharmaceutical treatments.
After seeing a specialist, I was diagnosed with iMCD because of the new situation. However, still being asymptomatic, that doesn’t feel like the correct diagnosis.
For now, the plan is to play the “wait and see” game.
I’ll continue living my life, enjoying my family and pets, working on my passions (my marketing agency and new nonprofit, Michigan Women), and striving to be a good leader and community member. I joined the CDCN Warrior program because it aligns with my mission to engage more with others, and we share a common life-altering problem that we don’t have much control over. Stronger together.
