I was diagnosed with an extremely rare myeloproliferative disorder called Rosai-Dorfman disease in 2014. It’s not fatal, but it does cause severely swollen lymph nodes and other benign growths sometimes. I’ve had several growths removed already, including one from my neck and another from my upper back.

I’m very grateful to MD Anderson thoracic surgeon Dr. Garrett Walsh for performing those surgeries. But it’s the uterine fibroid...