This October I’m running the Cardiff Half Marathon as a part of the team ‘Scrambled Legs’, hoping to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research.

Cancer affects many people but I never expected I would be one of them. Last year my boyfriend Stu developed lymphoma. Please read his amazing story here!

In March last year I went home early from Easter with a bad fever. Not thinking much of it, I took a blood test. Soon after, my doctor rang me immediately and asked me to stay the weekend at hospital. They quickly diagnosed me with glandular fever. 

Thinking I'd be in hospital for a couple of days, I woke up one morning to find the news I was going to be admitted to the Royal Free specialist hospital in London. Initially thinking it was a liver problem, the doctors soon found I had Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This truly rare disease usually affects very young children with weakened immune systems, and it still remains quite vague as to why I got this disease. The hospital then started me on immediate chemotherapy while it was still treatable, although offered no promises. Despite not originally responding to treatment, the doctors persisted and told my parents they would get to the bottom of it. 

At times, being in hospital was inexplicably bad. After about a month in the Royal Free, things took a turn for the worse as I developed encephalitis, an infection of the brain, which lead to multiple seizures and cardiac arrest. This part of my stay is very vague in my memory as I was very dazed and sedated. Once finally leaving intensive care and after having a brain biopsy at Queen Square, I was taken back to the ward and watched carefully by both nurses and my parents. Towards the beginning of July I started to feel myself again. 

Unfortunately, after being bed bound for over 107 days, I weighed as little as 6 stone after losing most of my muscle mass. Walking was impossible but after intensive physiotherapy sessions I was able to walk a flight of stairs before returning home. I managed to finish chemotherapy in October in the comfort of my home with support of family and friends. I began to be able to run again in the New Year and am under way in training for the half marathon in October.

It was a very scary time and I am very grateful for the amazing care he received. Without donations to Cancer Research Stu may not have had such successful treatment. I will be very grateful for any donations. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.