The Great North Run 2023 is coming round fast and I will be taking on the challenge once more! This time I have managed to persuade my partner Chris to run alongside me for the race, which will hopefully make it more bearable!

Last year I managed to raise a huge amount of money for Blood Cancer UK thanks to everyone's kindness and generosity - thank you! This time round we have chosen a smaller charity, who are dedicated to caring for and supporting people with lymphoma specifically. Please give my story below a read. 

In May 2021 I was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called Hodgkins Lymphoma. Now bearing in mind I am considered a young, healthy individual with no major medical history: this taboo "C" word came as a massive shock to myself and everyone around me. Nothing can prepare you to be told "you have cancer". In short, this is how it went.
Going back to the very beginning, Christmas 2020, I felt a couple of pea sized lumps in my neck area. I went to the GP and as I had no other symptoms was told to monitor them. A couple of months later, I felt another, larger lump this time. I went back to the GP and there started my journey. After multiple hospital appointments, 2x biopsies, scans, the diagnosis was confirmed. I underwent fertility treatment to preserve my eggs and some embryos with my partner and got my start date for chemotherapy.
My chemo was scheduled to take place over 6 months and I finished just before Christmas 2021 with a few hiccups along the way; a couple of admissions to hospital with infection scares and my white blood cell count being too low. The physical side effects of chemo I got used to as the months went on, my main one being nausea the few days following treatment day and the one most people are aware of, losing my hair. These physical effects I found a lot easier to cope with compared to the emotional strain the treatment put on me, especially in the last couple months of chemo. I would consider myself a strong and resilient person but this was the biggest and hardest test of my life. I was tired, I was drained, I would wake up on a morning and just cry, I couldn't tell you a specific reason for it. If it wasn't for my partner Chris, my family and an amazing bunch of friends the last couple months of treatment would have been 10x harder and I wouldn't want to imagine going through it without them. I am very lucky for the support network I have and will never take this for granted.
Anyway, fast forward to now, I have been in remission since January 2022 following my course of chemo at the Cavell Unit at Dewsbury hospital. I will never forget the nurses on the unit and will always be grateful to them for their compassion and care. I am still having follow-up appointments a year on and so far so good.

Thank you for reading and any donation would be greatly appreciated!

Lymphoma Action is the UK’s only charity dedicated to lymphoma, the fifth most common cancer. We’ve been providing in-depth, expert information and wide-ranging support for over 30 years, helping thousands of people affected by lymphoma. Our work drives improvements in the diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare of lymphoma. We’re here for everyone affected by lymphoma. https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/