Benjamin R. Towles returned home to Adams Center last night, with hopes he will remain cancer free.

The 17-year-old has been suffering from diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stage 3.

For several months earlier this year, Ben called the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pa., home. He had surgery there March 18 to repair two collapses of his lung.

Ben told the Times earlier this year that the past couple of years have been rough. About two years ago he found out he had cancer, then it was in remission and it returned in January. This was to be his senior year of high school, but he has missed much of it because of illness. He’s often tired and weak, but strength comes from the number of relatives and friends. He said he could not get by without the support system of his mother; stepfather, Joseph Reff; brother, Jaycee Reff; friend Linda J. Welsh and her family and other family and friends.

He was able to come home for his birthday in June but returned to Pennsylvania on June 12 stem cell transplant, a process that took up to eight weeks.

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