In 2013, I was serving in the Royal Navy; deployed overseas, in the Arabian Gulf. I found a lump on my neck, which grew fairly rapidly over a matter of weeks, with no other symptoms. After a number of tests and a rather worrying couple of weeks, I was flown back to the UK on Christmas Day to see an ENT specialist and a subsequent biopsy; it was later confirmed that I had a type of blood cancer - Hodgkin’s lymphoma and unfortunately it was determined to be at Stage 4 - with a disappointing prognosis of 65% (5 yearly survival). I was 30 years old, and this was a huge shock and tough to take in, noting I otherwise had no obvious symptoms (apart from a lump the size of golf ball in my neck!) and felt fit and healthy. I subsequently undertook 12 rounds of chemotherapy, over 6 months, at Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Portsmouth. I was thankfully declared in full remission, in September 2014. Despite this being a difficult and uncertain time, I was hugely impressed with the support I received and the tireless work of the doctors and nurses in the oncology department at QA hospital.. In addition, the support received from Macmillan and Blood cancer UK in demystifying cancer and chemotherapy made a big difference to my outlook. 

This is not a topic I have discussed publicly, previously, as I still find it difficult to accept that as a fit and healthy 30 year old bloke that I was facing a potentially life threatening illness. I hope my story serves to raise further awareness for blood cancer and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in particular, and maybe a little bit of extra funding for Blood cancer UK; which provides an invaluable service and support network to those diagnosed with blood cancer. 

I’m once again deployed with the Royal Navy, in the Arabian Gulf,  which I had never envisaged would be the case 7 years ago. This will be my first marathon and training so far on deployment has been intermittent, but now I’ve gone public, so I guess I'm committed, and should start racking up the miles!!

If you wish to donate, please use the link above, but if not, no worries, thanks for reading and I hope you can share the message that cancer can affect anyone. It’s often  indiscriminate, and the key is to have an understanding of the wide variety of symptoms, not be afraid to get a diagnosis, and in turn get treatment sooner rather than later, which will result in a better prognosis/outlook, in almost all cases!

Blood Cancer UK: - We're a community dedicated to beating blood cancer. We do this by funding research and supporting those affected. Since 1960, we've invested over £500 million in blood cancer research, transforming treatments and saving lives. Right now, our community is funding 360 researchers and staff across the UK who are searching for the next breakthrough. The day we will beat blood cancer is now in sight and the researchers are determined to finish the job.