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What do you want people to know about your experience?

I was living in Brazil at the time when I found my lump and fell ill. I was working at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in boxing. A dream job that I had quit my job back in Essex for months earlier. I had moved out of my apartment in the UK and was living carefree about to travel South America. Within days I went from laying on the Copacabana beach in Rio, to lying on an operating table in Dorset about to have a tumour removed. I was unemployed, without a place to live and single. I then moved back in with my mum and started chemotherapy. Quite the fall from grace. A cancer diagnosis can impact everyone in different ways, but with the right support network you can find positive ways to manage parts of the diagnosis. “The first rule of cancer club is, it is ok to talk about cancer.” A club no one wants to be a part of but finding a good community helps.

What does being a young person who’s had a cancer diagnosis mean to you?

Being a young person that had cancer means that some of life’s questions may have been brought onto me sooner than most. Although the cancer diagnosis and treatment stage were tough, I have gratitude in a new way of living. I know what makes me happy. I find joy in the smaller and important things in life. Spending time with friends and family, warm sunny days feel more satisfying, and cake tastes even more amazing.  

What does being part of a community of young people who have also experienced cancer mean to you?

Now that I have a community of young people that have experienced cancer I can’t imagine a life without it. I speak to my ‘cancer’ friends just as much as my school friends. It’s not always cancer talk and doom and gloom. Sometimes inappropriate jokes with someone that gets it or talks about upcoming scans or anniversaries. I’ve even met ‘magic internet friends’ in real life and have planned challenges together. The thing I was most surprised about was how quickly we fell into being natural and not nervous around each other. I recently had a day with a group of the cancer community and even though we only met that day, I wanted to spend even more time with them and didn’t want to leave.

How has Trekstock helped you thrive?

Trekstock has helped me thrive by allowing me to tell my story. I didn’t realise the power of telling your story. I have talked about my cancer diagnosis in front of hundreds of people. I felt like I was carrying a great weight on my shoulders for years. As soon as I told my story, the weight had lifted. Meeting other community members at events like Trek This City and online workshops has been awesome and I’ve kept in touch with all the people I’ve met. Telling my story has not only impacted myself but many people too. Audience members have come to speak to me about their own diagnosis or experience. Opening up discussions can have an immense positive impact.

What does living life alongside cancer mean to you?

For the first five years of remission, I did feel like I still had shackles on. There were psychological milestones to get over, like the one-year anniversary and each year after that. There was no magic wand for recovery and thinking that one day it all went away, but gradually as time goes on it gets easier. Cancer doesn’t define me, or make me who I am. It was just a bump in the road. A bloody big bump! but life gets better. I feel like my happiness now is a result of having cancer. When things go wrong in life, like being late for work, or your football team losing, or a flight being delayed, it can always be worse, and there’s always an excuse to smile.

What do you wish you’d known about cancer before your diagnosis?

Cancer is a unique experience, like no other. The word itself can fill you with dread that anyone without a lived the experience will never understand. Finding your circle, your people, your support network is key for your mental health and coping. You may lose yourself for a while, lose your identity, but you will find it all again and more. Your appreciation for life will increase more than you could imagine. Life is tough, but you are tougher.

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