Laura's Story (2011)

I spoke to Laura in 2011, and subsequently wrote this feature article. It is written with the intention of being published in More! Magazine. 

 

Every day, in the UK, six young people will be told that they have cancer. Some of which may be our best friends, our sisters and brothers.

                Far from concerns about exams, fashions faux pas and the recent crush, many young people will be plagued with thoughts of treatment, hospital appointments, and rigorous tests and screenings.

                Laura MacPherson, 16, from Sheffield was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in March 2011. Speaking of her diagnosis she said: “when I was officially diagnosed, it didn’t scare me. The doctors had told my mum one Friday; when I was in hospital all day, having scans and blood tests, that they suspected I had Lymphoma. They told her to take me home and have a good, normal weekend before my life changed”.

According to the Office of National statistics (2005), it has been found that different cancers predominate at different ages, leukaemia, lymphomas and brain tumours in 13 – 18 year-olds and lymphomas, carcinomas and germ cell tumours in 19 – 24 year-olds.

In a recent BBC interview, Susie Rice, who works at the Teenage Cancer Trust; “Young People are experts at their own bodies. If there is something wrong with them, if they think there’s a lump or a swelling, they must speak to their GP. And the job of the GP is to listen to these people and take them seriously”.

                “I made a promise to my mum, not to search my diagnosis on the internet, and I was getting pretty worried, although never in a million years would I have guessed it was cancer” says Laura. “Even though the diagnosis wasn’t official, I knew it has to be right, so when it was confirmed, it wasn’t a shock for me”.

                According to the Teenage Cancer Trust, approximately 2,100 young people, a year, are diagnosed with cancer. “I think cancer awareness should be a lot higher especially for younger people. I know I was one of them people who didn’t realise how vastly cancer affects the world. Until you get cancer, it seems like no one has it, and it’s just something that happens to other people not you” recalls Laura.

                “I guess when you think of people that have cancer you automatically think that they must value every second of their life so much. Of course I appreciate still being here and I realise that there are so many people who are not as fortunate as I am, and for that reason I do keep my head up. But that doesn’t mean to say, I don’t have days where I wish I could just hide from the world and curl up in a ball to feel sorry for myself”.

                The Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity ‘devoted to improving the lives of young people with cancer. The trust aims to ensure that every young person with cancer and their family receive the best possible care and professional support throughout their cancer journey’. The trust has 17 cancer units within NHS hospitals across the UK, with a further 16 units in development. “The Teenage Cancer Trust units they build in some hospitals are amazing. You can really feel at home there and the stuff they offer is just incredible”.

                The Teenage Cancer Trust also runs ‘a pioneering education programme giving free cancer awareness talks to secondary schools, colleges and universities. These sessions help to take the stigma out of cancer and demystify the disease by including discussions on the types of cancer there are, the main warning signs of cancer, the types of treatments available and how to keep healthy’.

                According to recent statistics, nearly three-quarters of UK teenagers and young adults who develop cancer now survive.

                Laura finished her six-month chemotherapy treatment in September, and on 16^th November, 2011 it was confirmed that she is in remission. However, Laura is far from free of her cancer ordeal. “There has been a lot of waiting for scans and waiting for results. They said that I still have a small dot on my chest that they could be positive, but if they give me radiotherapy there’s also a very high chance I’ll get breast cancer in the future, so they’re weighing up the risks at the moment”.

                “Yeah, I worry about what I’m going to wear when I go shopping, and I worry about what I look like, boys, and other normal teenage problems, but also, I have to cope with worrying about cancer, and worrying about it returning or getting another cancer or whether I’m going to be in remission. But all I can hope for in the future is to be happy. To have a job that I enjoy, a family that love me and mostly, to be in remission, and stay in remission. I’ve learnt not to get my hopes up in life, and I know of course my life will definitely not pan out perfectly, but as long as I can be happy, that’s all I want”.

                If you, a relative or a friend, has any concern about cancer in young people, go to www.teenagecancertrust.org or call the Teenage Cancer Trust on 020 7612 0370.

 

 Cancer Research UK has identified a number of things to look out for and here are just five of those things to be aware of:

1.       Ensure you examine your breast regularly - Look out for:

a)      Any unusual lumps

b)      Changes in size

c)       Changes in shape or feel

2.       Bleeding from the vagina between periods. – Although bleeding or ‘spotting’ between periods can be a common side effect of the contraceptive pill, it should otherwise be checked out by your GP.

3.       If you experience persistent bloating – This could be a sign of ovarian cancer, so ensure you make an appointment to see your doctor.

4.       Should you find blood in your urine or your bowel movements - Always get this checked out, should it turn out not to be cancer, it can be dealt with quite quickly.

5.       Keep an eye on your skin - Look out for any new moles that appear, ones that changes in shape, size or colour, and ones that bleed or feel unusual. Also ensure that you wear a high factor sunscreen when exposed to the sun.