JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Imagine being diagnosed with a form of cancer so rare that not too many doctors know how to detect it, let alone treat it. Well, one Jacksonville woman is living through that nightmare.
Until four years ago, when Hollis Mitchell was in her early 50s, she lived a full and active lifestyle with very little to worry about. But when she turned 54, she began to notice problems with her skin.
“I itched all the time,” Mitchell said.
The itching got worse, and before she knew it, she began to lose her hair.
“No eyebrows, no eyelashes, no hair anywhere. Next, it consumes your body. Your skin now has sores. Open lesions. You have pus and blood,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell visited doctors who couldn’t diagnose her condition, and it was becoming more and more mentally frustrating.
“To walk around for years and not know what’s wrong with you, that was a challenge,” she said.
Fast forward to 2025, and Mitchell said she now has a new lease on life thanks to Dr. Maxim Norkin, an MD Anderson oncologist.
Norin diagnosed Hollis with a condition called Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma. He said it’s a form of cancer so rare that it’s found in only eight out of one million people.
Reasons why people develop this form of cancer are unclear, but experts know it’s an acquired condition that is predominantly found in African Americans and men. Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma is difficult to detect because it mimics other skin conditions.
“It’s usually mistaken for more benign conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and allergies. It takes many months and sometimes up to several years for multiple tests and biopsies to get the right diagnosis,” said Norkin who added that a dermatologist can treat the condition as long as the cancer is only confined to the skin, but once the cancer attacks the bloodstream, a team of oncologists and dermatologists is required to treat the condition before it becomes fatal.
Hollis is the only person in Jacksonville who is known to be currently diagnosed with Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma.
“It’s very rare to have that aggressive presentation of this disease that she has,” Norkin said.
“My whole complete body is overtaken by this cancer from head to toe,” said Mitchell, who went on to say that she is now on a daily regimen of oral chemotherapy to fight the cancer.
Mitchell told News4JAX that although Norkin and the staff at MD Anderson have given her hope to survive, there were times when she looked in the mirror and questioned why she is stricken with this illness.
“Why me? God, why did you choose me for this? Then, someone told me God only gives things to warriors, and you’re a warrior. You’re a fighter, and I am,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said that although the Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma can take a physical and mental toll on her, she’s fortunate to have her family by her side and a doctor who fully understands what she’s going through.
She also said she hopes her story can encourage others who are currently fighting rare forms of cancer because she knows firsthand what they may be going through, both mentally and physically.