Three years after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Canadian Max Parrot won gold in slopestyle snowboarding at the Beijing Olympics. An Olympic medal that tastes of revenge for the 27-year-old athlete.
- Canadian Max Parrot, 27, won gold at the Beijing Olympics in the snowboard slopestyle category.
- In 2019, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that mainly affects people under 35.
It is a story of resilience that gives hope to thousands of patients. On Monday February 7, Canadian Max Parrot won the gold medal in slopestyle snowboarding at the Beijing Olympics. Four years after winning silver in Pyeongchang, South Korea, this victory has a special flavor for the 27-year-old.
An eight-month battle with the disease
Because three years ago, Max Parrot probably never imagined finding himself on the first step of an Olympic podium. In 2019, he discovered he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a very rare cancer affecting the lymphatic system, the body’s main immune system. “I went through hell. It was the first time I had to put the snowboard in a closet. I felt like a lion in a cage”he confided in The Canadian Press. “I was 24, I was an athlete, I was in good health, I didn’t smoke. Then, I was told, overnight, that I had cancer. “From that moment, you appreciate life three times more, you don’t take anything for granted anymore, you learn to love the little things. It changes a lot of things.”
For eight months, Max Parrot fought against his cancer, undergoing twelve sessions of chemotherapy which seriously affected his muscles. He documented this dark period of his life in a documentary, Max: the fight of a lifetimeavailable online.
It was thanks to the support he received on social media that he regained the energy to return to training and ultimately become an Olympic champion.
What is Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?
Usually occurring mainly in young adults (between the ages of 20 and 35) and in adults over the age of 60, Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a relatively rare cancer. According to’National Cancer Instituteapproximately 1,880 cases are diagnosed each year in France, which represents approximately 0.5% of all cancers and 10% of all lymphomas.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which involves lymphocytes, immune cells of the white blood cell family. Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs when an initially normal lymphocyte transforms, then multiplies uncontrollably and eventually forms a cancerous tumor.
Due to its high sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be cured in more than 80% of cases.
What are the symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
A persistent swelling of one or more lymph nodes in the neck is the first symptom to put on the trail of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This swelling, when significant, can lead to facial edema, difficulty breathing or a dry and persistent cough.
Fever, fatigue, weight loss, heavy sweating especially at night and more rarely unexplained itching or pain in the lymph nodes after ingesting an alcoholic beverage can also put on the trail of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
To establish the diagnosis, the doctor performs several tests, including blood samples, medical imaging tests and especially the biopsy of one or more swollen lymph nodes (adenopathy). This step is one of the most important because it is what makes it possible to establish the diagnosis of lymphoma and to evaluate its extension.
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