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Leanne

Eight weeks after Leanne gave birth to her daughter her life changed forever when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Leanne

Leanne and her husband Marc have become committed supporters of Lymphoma Action and their most recent activity was an Audrey Hepburn themed black-tie gala dinner which raised vital funds to help others affected by lymphoma. 


In April 2008 I saw my GP for my eight week post pregnancy check. I was getting used to my new life as a mother, giving everything to my beautiful daughter Savannah. What happened in this appointment changed my life. 

In a passing comment, I mentioned to the doctor I had noticed a small lump appear on the left side of my neck. I felt it was maybe silly to mention, but why not, I had his attention after all. The doctor took a brief look and his voice and body language changed - quickly the conversation sounded serious. He asked me to return with someone and he escorted me to the reception to book an appointment. Something was not right. 
 
Later that afternoon I returned with my husband Marc and daughter. Throughout my pregnancy, I had been feeling uncomfortable. I had mentioned to my midwifery team and doctors of feeling itchy and having night sweats but I was told it was hormonal and a side effect of the pregnancy.  
 
The doctor suggested I may have something which needs attention and made me an appointment straight away at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Everything seemed to move very quickly, yet also slowly. My mind was cloudy and I was trying to process everything whilst thinking about my new baby. I was back and forth that week from the hospital, doctors and awaiting results and an appointment with an oncologist Dr. Faris Al-Refaie who was on holiday. 
 
One week later I attended an appointment at the Spires Rivers Hospital along with my husband and parents. We all sat anxiously as he was about to give his verdict. "The results are back and you have Hodgkin lymphoma". We didn’t know exactly what he was saying or what it was, but I could see the look in his eyes and we all knew this was serious. I welled up with tears in my eyes, everyone’s' faces had changed too. 
 
Dr. Al-Refaie went further into detail and then the dreaded word ‘cancer’ was mentioned, I broke down. "Why me?" I asked myself. A moment of silence and he continued to explain in a calming manner, doing his best to reassure us as much as he could. He also tried to answer all of the many questions thrown at him. We were then given some time alone to digest this terrible news. Time stood still as things started to sink in… what was the journey ahead? How would I cope?
 
The next day I was due to start chemotherapy. This was my life for the months ahead. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma stage II B. The treatment started and I had a Hickman® line put in to enable all the drugs to go through rather than inserting a line into me each time. This blue tube became part of me for the next nine months. 
 
With each week of treatment I learned that positivity was key. I had two amazing chemo nurses who instilled this into me. They spoke to and treated me normally, during a time when everyone else around me was different. People were scared and worried about how I was feeling or how I would react to things they said.
 
Looking back now positivity really was half of the battle. I felt very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends around me and Marc was my rock. Although I was grateful for the love and support, I was also feeling bitter and sad about the people close to me that had disappeared. Many of my “friends” and family did not get in contact or if they did, it felt very uncomfortable. Marc always said that some people do not know what to say and feel it is easier to say nothing and hide. Of course, we both agreed that this is not right, but what could I do? At least we had some wonderful people to focus on.
 
Although there were many lows, I recall feeling strong mentally and pushing myself to get through this. Savannah was the most welcomed distraction and I always refer to her as my miracle. Had it not been for her, I would not have been diagnosed so early – I am sure of this.
 
With care plans put in place, my life changed - my body and appearance too. My hair and eyebrows were gone, I looked in the mirror and did not recognize who I saw. I was always worried about my family, especially Marc… how was he mentally coping. We did speak about things but we certainly kept certain thoughts to ourselves and probably still do today.
 
I was due to receive 24 bouts of chemotherapy. Marc made a chart and we struck a big black mark through each completed session to feel that we were getting somewhere. At the bottom of the chart was a photograph of a cruise ship. Marc told me that this was at the end of it all.
 
It was a rocky road and I suffered many setbacks but nine months in Dr Al-Refaie sat us down to give us the news: “It has gone, you are now in remission”. The weight dropped off my shoulders in an instant, my family were ecstatic and I tried desperately to take in the wonderful news. 
 
Marc kept his promise and took me and Savannah on the most incredible holiday in the Caribbean with a few surprise guests.
 
The fear was over but something always remains, the ‘what if…’
 
I recently had my annual check with Dr. Al-Refaie at the Rivers Hospital. It’s now 10 year on and as always I was anxious for the results. I had previously suffered with skin cancer and it was on the five year anniversary that I was diagnosed with lymphoma… I was worried about anniversaries and dates. I even started to feel similar symptoms to what I had previously. Marc and I were both worried, we feared the worse and tried to prepare for the news.

We were given the results: "everything is fine, you are clear. 10 years now, so please do not come back". Dr. Al-Refaie knew that I was worried and gave me the advice to live my life to the full. ”You have had 10 years of good health, no one knows what the future holds but you must accept that you are no longer a cancer patient. Enjoy every moment you are blessed with”. Dr. Al-Refaie will always be our hero, he gave me health and my life is in debt to him.
 
I am aware that the medicines and procedures are better than I received 10 years ago. This gives me great comfort as I try to close the door and move on with my life. Awareness is very important and I was sadly not aware of Lymphoma Action when I was first diagnosed - however since then we have built a long-standing relationship. Marc and I are proud to have supported the charity with events and fundraising over the years and Marc and his friend Jaimie Sinclair were honoured to receive the Beacon of Hope Award in 2013 for their marathon efforts.

Our biggest event yet was our black-tie gala dinner at the Royal Lancaster hotel in London on Saturday 6 October 2018. The Remembering Audrey Hepburn event hosted 400 special guests including celebrities, VIP’s and media. Marc and I have built a wonderful relationship with Audrey’s youngest son Luca Dotti over the past four years so he kindly gave up his time to attend the event and share his personal stories about his mother. Thank you to everyone who supported this special event to raise money for Lymphoma Action and EURORDIS.