Maddie
Maddie, 17, talks about her diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma at age 16. She shares the approach she took to managing her studies and social life.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma when I was 16. I’d had lots of severe back pain and was taking ibuprofen daily. My GP thought it was indigestion, but I was in such pain and it wasn’t going away.
We asked for a physio appointment but, as I wasn’t able to access this on the NHS, we paid privately. My pain continued to worsen and I was eventually referred to an NHS specialist physio who ordered an MRI scan. Ultimately, this started my diagnosis.
I had an MRI scan at about 7pm one evening and the next day, at 9am, I was back with the doctors being told that I’d need more investigations to find out if I had cancer. At this point, I just wanted as many scans as possible, to find out what was wrong.
I found it all quite isolating – I felt separated from friends. Everyone else my age seemed to just be able to get on with going to college and going out at the weekends. Friends have tried to support me, but sometimes, they don’t seem to know how to talk to me, so I asked them to please just be normal with me and talk to me about everyday things.
I had chemotherapy treatment from November to May. As I was being treated 2 hours away from my home, I stayed in an apartment closer to the hospital and my mum came with me. I generally tolerated the treatment well. However, I needed a lot of help from my mum to manage as there was so much to take, and I was too poorly to manage it myself.
As well as the chemotherapy, I had medication to help manage treatment side effects. My doctors made adjustments to these medicines so that I could carry on life as normally as possible, without having to deal with all the side effects like sickness, constipation and tiredness. However, the steroids I was given made me euphoric, which took its toll. I struggled more a few months after treatment, when I started to feel really tired in the mornings.
My social worker was a great support. I had meetings with her every few weeks and she was someone I could talk to about a whole range of things.
During my treatment, I tried to give myself permission to set college work aside, knowing that I could return to it after the rest of the academic year out. Instead, I prioritised seeing my friends when I had energy.
I connected with someone else around my age who had the same type of lymphoma as me. She and I supported each other through out experiences. I’m back at college now, studying for my ‘A levels. My college has made adjustments so that I can miss the morning lessons, when I feel most tired, and do work at home.
I think that having lymphoma has changed me. I'm more resilient now, and the things that would've bothered me before, don't now.