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I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September 2016, just 8 months after the birth of my little boy, Harry.  I had 8 weeks of chemotherapy, 3 weeks of radiotherapy and countless appointments, tests and scans before being told I was in remission in May 2017.  I could say so much about the journey I went through during my diagnosis and treatment, but suffice to say the thing that got me through it was the knowledge that I had to for Harry.  I had a treatment plan, a team of highly skilled medical professionals around me, and an ultimate end goal - to survive.  That might sound dramatic, but there was a 1 in 5 chance that I wouldn't live far beyond my son's 5th birthday.

I'm now in remission, although still under the care of the haematology team at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh until January 2022. At that point (5 years post treatment), my chances of getting Hodgkin's Lymphoma again will be the same as the chances of anyone else getting it for the first time (less than 0.2% for women in the UK).  I've decided to take on a series of fundraising challenges all involving the number 5 to help me to embrace life during this 5 year journey.  My goal is to raise as much as I can in support of two amazing charities - Maggie's Centre Edinburgh and Cancer Research UK.  I'm starting with taking on 5 winter 5K trail races through Fox Trail Scotland.

To find out more about why I've chosen Maggie's Edinburgh, please keep reading:

When I was told I was in remission, most people expected me to feel relieved, happy, grateful, energised - to be fair, I expected myself to feel those things too. The truth was, I just didn't. I felt deflated, flat and exhausted. It took me a year and the development of a constant eye twitch for me to realise and accept that I needed help. My GP suggested that I contact Maggie's Edinburgh to seek support from them through counselling. I had been into Maggie's a few times during my treatment at the suggestion of my nurse specialist.  I didn't feel I needed any specific support at that time, but it was a nice, quiet, relaxing and non-clinical place to have a cup of tea between appointments.  After a couple of weeks I worked up the nerve to pick up the phone. Within a week I had an appointment and sat down with one of the counsellors at the centre, who I saw quite a few times before starting a course of group therapy called "Where Now?"  We were guided by a counsellor, a psychotherapist and had weekly input from an exercise specialist and a nutritionist. I was joined by 4 other amazing women who were also going through their own cancer recovery journeys.

After my first session at Maggie's, I signed up for a weekly yoga class. Gradually, I was inspired to start running and eating more healthily.  I started practicing yoga at home at least 3 times a week and spent every day focussing on serenity and enjoyment, two values I had identified as important to me through one of the group sessions.  

My cancer recovery journey isn't over - it'll be another 3 years before I'm considered cured and even that isn't an absolute deadline. I'm no zen master and I still have moments of feeling overwhelmed or irritated. My energy levels still aren't what they were pre-chemo, but I do feel stronger, healthier, calmer and happier and I feel like I can breathe properly again.  I couldn't have reached this point without the practical and emotional support I received from Maggie's Centre Edinburgh.

Maggie's offers all sorts of support to people living with cancer and their families.  All of this is free to the person seeking support and delivered in such a warm, calming environment and by a team of dedicated, knowledgeable and empathetic people.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.