The world just stops spinning and life as you’ve always known it changes in a split second, that’s what happens when you’re told that your child has cancer.

On the 21st of June last year our 19 year old son Lyle was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma a type of blood cancer that affects only 400 15 -24 year olds a year. Right from the start, Lyle’s concerns were not for himself but for those around him, his family, girlfriend, and friends. Within days, before Lyle’s treatment had even started he had set up a JustGiving page for Lymphoma Action to help other people and their families deal with Lymphoma.

From that day onwards life was a whirlwind of scans, blood tests, and hospital appointments. In July Lyle started an aggressive course of Chemotherapy at UCLH where they have a brilliant teenage and young adult cancer unit. From his first day of treatment, Lyle was always so brave, positive, and strong, a real inspiration.

For me, the intensity of the treatment and watching what Lyle was going through was a massive shock, the extremely long days, bleeping machines, and the number of sick teenagers having chemo, their faces will live with me forever.

After Lyle’s first cycle of chemo, he had to be admitted to the hospital as he had an infection and was neutropenic, he had no immunity at all, for me that was the scariest time. Chemo was finally allowed to continue and then towards the end of Lyle's 2nd cycle he was admitted again as the high amount of steroids he was taking were making the bones in his hips, back and legs crumble, he was in agony. As if this was not enough for Lyle to deal he then got Covid too, however treatment continued in isolated rooms.

After six long months, Lyle had a full body scan & just before Christmas he was given the all-clear. This was the best Christmas present we could ever wish for and I am the luckiest, happiest mum alive!  I am so very proud of Lyle he is a real super star.

Thank you will never be enough for the consultants & nurses that treated Lyle they are simply amazing.

Lyle has another scan and an echocardiogram in March then scans every 3 months for the first year and every 4 months in the 2nd year, then will be monitored until he is 24.

Later this year I will be running the London Marathon for Lyle’s chosen charity Lymphoma Action. They are the UK’s only charity dedicated to helping those with Lymphoma. 

They have supported Lyle & our family massively with their trustworthy literature & information, monthly updates, podcasts, helplines, support groups, phone calls, and emails. The very least I can do now is by spending a few hours (hopefully!) pounding the streets of London raising money to help them.

Please sponsor me in anyway you can, it would be massively appreciated.

Here are some examples of how money raised can help this great charity:

£5 could help us ensure that the latest expert lymphoma information is immediately available to anyone who visits our website.

£10 could help us send out award winning information booklets to newly diagnosed patients to give them a better understanding of their disease and of the support available.

£20 could help pay for an hour of dedicated helpline support, enabling our experienced team to be there for patients, carers and anyone affected by lymphoma.

£40 could help fund a dedicated workshop to empower people affected by lymphoma to manage day-to-day and live well beyond their cancer.

£70 could enable us to identify, research and add a new clinical trial to our online Lymphoma TrialsLink database, to help ensure that everyone eligible for a life-saving clinical trial is given access to one.

£75 could help pay for a nurse to attend a lymphoma specific study day so they can keep up-to-date with all aspects of lymphoma treatment and provide the best possible care for their patients.

£100 could help us campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of lymphoma, encouraging earlier diagnosis and raising the profile of the disease.