VHHS grad, Auburn cheerleader battles rarest form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma

A few months before starting his final year as an Auburn cheerleader, Cameron Monistere began feeling sick.

The 2019 Vestavia Hills High School graduate thought it was just a head cold, but noticed his left lymph node was beginning to swell. Following a few urgent care visits, Monistere was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist in Opelika this summer.

A biopsy confirmed it was more than a head cold: Monistere was diagnosed with the rarest form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma – nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

While Monistere said he’s been an anxious person before, the only choice he knew he had at that time was to keep pushing and aim for successful treatment.

Thankfully, his diagnosis represented a treatable and non-aggressive form of cancer.

So every Tuesday, Monistere made his way back to Birmingham to receive treatments at UAB Hospital, following a treatment plan developed by staff at the hospital’s O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Cameron had early stage NLPHL, which is the only stage where there is not only a chance to treat the cancer, but potentially cure it,” said Dr. Amitkumar Mehta, associate professor in the Division of Hematology & Oncology at the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. “We wanted to find a plan that would treat his cancer and still allow him to cheer and fully participate in his senior year.”

Monistere received four infusions of the drug rituximab, a monoclonal antibody used to treat non-aggressive Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The first infusion took five to six hours, he said, since the first treatment can have more side effects. The other treatments took between an hour and a half and an hour and 45 minutes, he said.

While receiving treatment, Monistere didn’t miss a single game or practice, and said he received a lot of encouragement from his teammates.

“I was very fatigued,” Monistere said. “My caffeine intake skyrocketed.”

But Monistere said battling the disease was something he knew he had to do.

A three-sport athlete at VHHS, Monistere took up cheerleading in college, following in his older brother’s footsteps.

“I wouldn’t be in the shape I’m in without it,” Monistere said. 

During his sophomore year, he was able to cheer with his brother for the latter’s final football season, Monistere said.

Monistere almost received proton therapy as well, which shoots protons into the affected area and has fewer side effects than traditional radiation. As a culinary major, however, Monistere was worried about losing any of his taste and smell.

But on Nov. 1, Monistere received the surprising news that his scans had come back clear. It allowed him to finish his final football season enjoying the sport he’s been a part of for four years now.

While Monistere knows he may have to deal with this again later in life, he is glad he took his health seriously and caught it this time. He recommended all men in college have a physician either near campus or near their home.

“Pay attention to yourself,” Monistere said. “You always have time.”