A native of Florida, Betsy de Parry lives and works with her husband Alex in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In December of 2001, Betsy and Alex took a break from the cold Midwestern winter and headed to Florida for a family vacation. When she stepped on to the plane and buckled up herself and her multiple roles -- wife, mother, grandmother, VP of marketing and sales, volunteer -- to name a few, Betsy had no idea that the fever brewing in her was about to add another role to her life: cancer patient.

 

Betsy's journals of her experiences as a cancer patient with a stubborn follicular lymphoma that refused to respond to conventional chemotherapy became the basis for her popular and acclaimed books, The Roller Coaster Chronicles and Adventures in Cancerland and for an award winning documentary, Cure for Casualties, which aired on PBS.

 

Since her successful treatment with Radioimmunotherapy (RIT)  in 2002 and her recovery from follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Betsy has - with help from her ever-present assistant Missy - penned not only her two books but writes numerous essays and articles, including her Candid Cancer columns for AnnArbor.com. Betsy also writes and hosts Candid Cancer segments featured on the PBS series, A Wider World.

 

Sharing her practical wisdom with an effervescent wit and grace, Betsy speaks to organizations and groups of both healthcare professionals and patients,. She been interviewed on NPR and featured in The New York Times. Betsy recently collaborated with the Lymphoma Foundation of America to produce and host a series of educational webcasts, and she works on various projects with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation and Hope for Lymphoma.

 

Betsy serves as the Michigan delegate for the LLS Delegates Summit in Washington, D.C., and she frequently advocates for public policies that affect cancer research and treatment. She also serves on the Patient Advocacy Advisory Board of the Society of Nuclear Medicine.

 

Congratulations to Betsy on her 10th Anniversary of Remission! 09/11/2002 – 09/11/2012

 

Read more about Betsy and the treatment that saved her life on her website: www.betsydeparry.com