For most of 2008 I continuously had the flu and whilst Doctors
prescribed antibiotics it kept coming back. I didn't think about it
much at the time, but I also had itchy legs, night sweats, I lost a
lot of weight in a short period of time and was always tired at
work.
It wasn't until I had a really bad fever that the Doctors sent
me for an x-ray because they thought I had pneumonia. It was then
they discovered a lump on my lungs.
I underwent chemotherapy for six months followed by three weeks
of radiation. It was an exhausting and frustrating period. I
was tired all the time, I lost my hair, food tasted metallic,
etc. Once I'd finished treatment I had x-rays and scans which
showed clear results which was great news.
However in September 2009 another lump appeared, this time in my
neck. And so it began again… I had three months of chemotherapy to
shrink the lump so that they could give me a stem cell transplant.
After chemo they harvested my stem cells and froze them for this
purpose. I didn't get the chance to have that transplant as I
relapsed. A further two months of chemo enabled me to finally have
that stem cell transplant in May of 2010. The transplant unit isn't
much fun as you're isolated in a closed off room with visitors
restricted to avoid you picking up any bugs because your immune
system isn't working properly.
Flash forward to October 2010. The results came back; the stem
cell transplant didn't work. I'm currently undergoing more
chemotherapy and continue to fight.
I wasn't introduced to CanTeen till 2009 and going through
treatment for the second time. I was, and continue to
be in a better place thanks to CanTeen. It's a lot easier
to talk and share your experience with people that are going
through or have been through a similar experience.
It means a lot to always have somebody around whether it's a
staff member or fellow CanTeener to talk to, hang out with, make
you smile, offer a shoulder to cry on or sing a song
with.
CanTeen offers programmes that help you deal with grief, support
others, provide leadership skills and empower you to grow as a
person. But above all, CanTeen makes you feel like you're not going
through it alone.