In early 2020, I started experiencing front-facing falls. I didn’t have any other symptoms, though, so I didn’t think much of it. That is, until one day I noticed I had a foot drop. My left foot was dragging on the ground when I would walk.

I made an appointment with a neurologist in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. An MRI showed several enlarged lymph nodes. My original prognosis was a 12- to 13-month survival.  I made an...