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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:59 am Post subject: 'Survivor' Winner Ethan Zhon Ready to Outlast Cancer
Survivor Winner Ethan Zohn Ready to Outlast Cancer
Today 7:46 AM PDT by BREANNE L. HELDMAN
He survived Africa, but now he'll face an even more frightening foe—cancer.
Ethan Zohn, the winner of Survivor: Africa, the series' third cycle, has begun a fierce battle with the disease, the 35-year-old tells People.
"This is the ultimate game of Survivor and there's really only one outcome, and that's to win," he says. "There's no other option."
Night sweats and strange itching led the reality TV star to think he had some sort of skin condition until, on April 30, he was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin's disease. Shortly after a swollen lymph node and a mass on the left side of his chest were found, doctors declared Zohn had a rare form the disease called CD20-positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
He began chemotherapy treatments last Friday.
"My life flashed before my eyes," Zohn says of hearing his diagnosis. Both he and his longtime girlfriend, Survivor season six winner Jenna Morasca, have lost parents to cancer.
However, the pair has good reason to be hopeful—survival rates are up to 90 percent.
Still, not unlike Farrah Fawcett, Zohn will lose his signature curly hair within the next few weeks. However, instead of watching it fall out Izzie-style, he's planning a date with an electric razor.
"My hair is my identity," he told the magazine. "I'll get a Mohawk or something fun that I've always wanted to do…I'll roll with the punches as it comes to me. That's how I work," he says. "I'm not getting voted out of this one.
Here's hopin' Zohn will outwit, outplay and, most importantly, outlast this terrifying news
source: e!online _________________ cats can't fly and birds don't purr.
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 397 Location: Lost in the fog inside my head.
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 9:06 am Post subject:
"Survivor: Africa" winner Ethan Zohn has been diagnosed with a rare form of Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to People magazine.
Zohn, 35, was diagnosed with the disease April 30, and began chemotherapy on Friday, the magazine said.
"This is the ultimate game of 'Survivor' and there's really only one outcome, and that's to win. There's no other option," Zohn told People in an exclusive.
Zohn's diagnosis came after he experienced months of unexplained itching and night sweats. According to People, doctors discovered an enlarged lymph node under his left clavicle and a CT scan revealed a large mass on the left side of his chest.
The magazine said that Zohn's form of cancer -- CD20-positive Hodgkin's lymphoma -- affects about 5 percent of all Hodgkin's patients. Like the more common form of Hodgkin's, CD-20 has about a 90 percent survival rate. The difference between the two is more of an aggressive treatment for CD-20.
Zohn was 14 when he lost his father to colon cancer.
The reality show winner said that he's going to use his cancer fight to inspire others.
"This is happening for a reason," Zohn told the magazine. "You have to get spiritual about this (stuff). I know I want to help people and inspire people. That's my purpose in life. So I need to use this as a platform."
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 397 Location: Lost in the fog inside my head.
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 9:27 am Post subject:
Ethan Zohn, the curly-haired soccer player who battled the elements and outwitted opponents to win Survivor: Africa, is facing his toughest adversary yet: cancer.
On April 30, Zohn was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's disease. The diagnosis came after months of unexplained itching and night sweats, originally thought to be a skin condition. Doctors discovered a swollen lymph node under his left clavicle, and a CT scan revealed a mass on the left side of his chest. Then, just last week, Zohn learned he is suffering from a rare form the disease called CD20-positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma, for which he began chemotherapy last Friday.
"This is the ultimate game of Survivor," Zohn, 35, tells PEOPLE exclusively, "and there's really only one outcome, and that's to win. There's no other option."
Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the body's lymphatic system with survival rates reaching as high as 90 percent. Zohn was told that the CD20 diagnosis, which affects around five percent of all Hodgkin's patients, has a similar cure rate, but is treated with an altered, more aggressive, three-month chemotherapy regimen. "They're going right after this," he says.
The chemo is expected to knock the always active and otherwise fit Zohn mostly out of commission for a few months, with nausea and weakness among its side effects. And he's expected to lose his famous mop of hair within two weeks.
Zohn's longtime girlfriend, Survivor: The Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, 27, is vowing to be at his side throughout the process. "I will fight with every fabric of my being to get him through this," Morasca tells PEOPLE.
Educating, Inspiring Others
Both Zohn and Morasca lost parents to cancer. Zohn's father died of colon cancer when Ethan was 14. Morasca's mother died in 2003, after a 12-year battle with breast cancer. "Our only point of reference with this situation is death," says Morasca.
Upon hearing the diagnosis, says Zohn, "My life flashed before my eyes." But in the roller coaster of emotions that followed, Zohn came to a conclusion: He wants to use his battle with cancer as way to educate and inspire others.
"This is happening for a reason," he tells PEOPLE. "You have to get spiritual about this [stuff]. I know I want to help people and inspire people. That's my purpose in life. So I need to use this as a platform."
Zohn, who has worked to raise money and awareness for AIDS relief in Africa through his Grassroot Soccer charity ever since winning Survivor's $1-million prize in 2002, had his first chemo treatment in Manhattan last Friday. Doctors inserted a small, octagonal port in his chest through which the chemo will be administered "like a fast-filling station" every two weeks. "It looks like I have a third nipple right now," says Zohn. "You can call me trip-nip!"
He'll face the loss of his hair with the same bravado. "My hair is my identity," he admits. But rather than find "long, disgusting Ethan Zohn hair all over my house," he's decided to shave it off in the next few days: "I'll get a mohawk or something fun that I've always wanted to do."
That's just fine with Morasca. "I so love the bad-boy look," she says. "I'd have him get a tattoo and a nose piercing, too, but he's not into it."
Bad-boy looks or not, Zohn says he feels well-prepared for the long fight ahead. "I've got good family and friends, and I'll roll with the punches as it comes to me. That's how I work in life. I'll take it on like a real game of Survivor," he says, adding: "I'm not getting voted out of this one."
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 18593 Location: Albany, GA
Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 1:32 pm Post subject:
This is sad to hear. Hope everything works out for him. Glad to hear that there's a 90% survival rating. He's tough so I think he'll be alright. Hey, he won Survivor!
Best of luck and well wishes to Ethan and Jenna. _________________
Have A Great Day!
Kenny
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 18593 Location: Albany, GA
Posted: Thu May 28, 2009 1:49 am Post subject:
People.com Exclusive: Survivor's Ethan Zohn Cuts His Mop-Top By Mark Dagostino
Originally posted Wednesday May 27, 2009 07:45 AM EDT
The mop-topped, soccer-playing winner of Survivor: Africa has lopped off his mop. Well, most of it anyway.
Ethan Zohn, 35, who last week revealed to PEOPLE that he's battling a rare form of Hodgkin's disease, decided to cut off his trademark curly locks in anticipation of losing his hair from intense chemotherapy treatments he began on May 15. He even took a video-camera along to document his day at the salon for PEOPLE.com.
"Jenna loves it!" Zohn says, referring to his girlfriend, Survivor: The Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, 28, who accompanied Zohn to Manhattan's Dop Dop Salon on May 20. "She thinks I should have done it 10 years ago. I look like a bad-a$$ now and not a preppy."
Cutting his familiar hair was not an easy decision. "I'm the curly haired soccer player from Survivor. It's my identity," says Zohn. But the trip to the salon meant more than that. "I was nervous sitting in the chair, not because I was cutting my hair off. Hair grows back – but it's what it represented. 'I'm cutting my hair because I have cancer and I'm going through chemo.' "
But after the 'do was done, he liked the look so much, he says, "I don't know if I'll ever grow it back!"
Zohn expects that all of his hair – including his scruffy beard – will fall out within days of his second chemo treatment on May 29.
Cutting his hair wound up being "one of the most liberating moments of my life," says Zohn, who is vowing to stay positive and to use his battle with cancer to help educate and inspire others. "I realized I've been shackled by my hair. I suddenly felt free and alive. It looks great, and overall I'm pretty psyched about it."
KennyERJ's opinon: He looks really good with the short hair but I think he would look even better if he got rid of the curly mohawk thing in the middle, lol.
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 18593 Location: Albany, GA
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject:
Ethan Zohn Thanks Fans for 'Awesome' Support By Mark Dagostino
Originally posted Thursday June 25, 2009 09:00 AM EDT
Ethan Zohn is now halfway through his three-month chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In two new video diaries, filmed at his home in Manhattan, the now-bald Survivor: Africa winner shows viewers the ups and downs of his struggle.
In one video, the perpetually upbeat Zohn, 35, shares from among the mounds of supportive letters and numerous gifts sent by fans since he went public with his cancer diagnosis in May.
"The fan support has been awesome," says Zohn, standing in his kitchen with girlfriend Jenna Morasca, 28, (the winner of Survivor: The Amazon), showing off the loot that includes sweatshirts, cases of Vitamin Water and toys aimed at keeping him busy during chemo treatments.
In a second intimate video, filmed at 4:53 a.m. on a sleepless night after his third biweekly chemo session, a surprisingly somber Zohn admits his fight against cancer hasn't been easy. "Three months ago I was playing soccer, training for a marathon," he says. "Now, I'm bald, skinny, can't sleep at night, tired, nauseous."
Still, even in the wee hours of the morning, Zohn tries to remain upbeat. "The only way to get through this is to remain positive," Zohn says. While he has certainly wrestled with the question, "Why me?" he seems to have found his answer: "I've come to the conclusion that things happen for a reason, and maybe I was put on this earth to help others and educate others."
As he heads into the final six weeks of chemotherapy treatment, which is expected to be followed by radiation, he adds, "I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm gonna use this to change the world, man. You know?"
Already, Zohn has been asked to serve as an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer, the charity founded by CBS News anchor Katie Couric. He has also been asked to speak at events for Lance Armstrong's Livestrong foundation.
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 18593 Location: Albany, GA
Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:24 pm Post subject:
Inside Ethan Zohn's Chemo Treatment By Mark Dagostino
Originally posted Thursday July 02, 2009 08:50 AM EDT
"It's chemotherapy day!" Ethan Zohn announces at the top of his latest video diary for PEOPLE.
Taking viewers along to the hospital for his fourth biweekly chemo treatment, the Survivor: Africa winner, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in April and went public with his diagnosis in May, likens his three-month chemo regimen to a major sporting event: "I've made it through the first half, played well in the game. I'm excited to start off the second half."
Keeping the positive attitude he has shown ever since vowing to "inspire and educate people" through his ordeal, Zohn, 35, lets the camera roll as he enters "the chemo zone," and takes viewers behind the curtain as a doctor puts a needle in his chest and he downs a cup full of pills – jokingly calling them "Skittles, M&Ms and Tic-Tacs."
Zohn, who has been filming remarkably candid weekly video diaries for PEOPLE and has accepted invitations to speak for Stand Up to Cancer and the Livestrong Foundation while fighting the disease, has only two chemo treatments left, after which he expects to undergo radiation.
Joined: Sep 29, 2008 Posts: 18593 Location: Albany, GA
Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:11 am Post subject:
VIDEO: Ethan Zohn Feels He'll Beat Cancer By Mark Dagostino
Originally posted Thursday July 09, 2009 09:20 AM EDT
"I'm a little bit nervous," Ethan Zohn admits in his latest video diary for PEOPLE as he gets ready for a PET scan – a full body test "to see if the chemotherapy's working."
Two months after starting an aggressive chemotherapy treatment to fight the CD20-positive Hodgkin's Lymphoma he was diagnosed with April 30, the Survivor star opens up about his condition. "I feel like crap," he says, "so I think [the chemo] is working inside my body – but you never know until you get these tests done."
In a treatment room, Zohn talks about coming face-to-face with other cancer patients during his visits to the doctor's office. "I still don't see myself as one of them," he says. "I feel different. I don't know why. I feel like I'm going to beat this." But coming in for the PET test, he says, "it kind of takes your breath away, and it makes you think, 'That is me.' It's weird. It really is."
Zohn, who won Survivor: Africa in 2002 and founded the charity Grassroot Soccer with his winnings, is in the final phase of his three-month chemotherapy treatment. The results of his PET scan will help determine the next phase of treatment – and give the first indication of whether he's beating the cancer or not.
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