US Health

A 25-year-old young man fighting non-Hodgkin lymphoma is using social media to document his journey and support others throughout the country.Jace Yawnick, of Fort Myers, Florida, began using Instagram to share day-in-the-life videos after he was diagnosed in January of this year. His account, @JaceBeatsCancer, has now accumulated nearly one million followers on Instagram.”The first thing I did was go to the internet… it’s just incredible, it’s a beautiful side of social media that people don’t always see,” Yawnick said.The recent graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University told sister station WBBH that last year, he began experiencing chronic fatigue, a slight cough and back pain. His primary care physician attributed those symptoms to acid reflux and a sports injury.”After getting acupuncture, they said you might have a hernia in your chest. They brought it to my doctor’s attention and they ordered an x-ray. They didn’t find a hernia, they found three masses around my heart,” Yawnick said.Since that day, he has used social media as a platform to share his story of recovery. The young man is now on cycle five of his chemotherapy treatments at NCH Baker Hospital Downtown.”When I started my social media journey, I made my username @JaceBeatsCancer, and in that moment, I decided I was beating cancer,” Yawnick said.While continuing his own battle, the 25-year-old is working on starting a nonprofit to raise money for others’ cancer treatments, as well as creating support groups.”I’m committed to spending my life to helping people beat cancer… and I’m going to ring that bell, I’m going to beat cancer,” Yawnick said.