Hi, my name is James Burrows and I am 18 years old. On the 5th of January last year (2015) I was given the worst news I have ever been given in my life to date, I was diagnosed with high grade/aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in my lower abdomen. It all started on Boxing day 2014, I was in excruciating pain around the area of my appendix. I was driven into A&E where I was eventually placed on a Pre-Op ward in preparation to have my appendix removed... seemed pretty normal to be honest. However it all changed unbelievably quickly, after my blood tests came up neutropenic (low white blood cells) I had many more tests, multiple scans and a biopsy before having the call both me and my family had been dreading... "Can you please come into the Oncology department tomorrow" I was half way through a college assignment when we got the call. I mean I would never wish it upon anyone but it is the kind of call that you will never understand unless you get it yourself, that heart sinking feeling, the unknown. Mum in tears next to me, Dad in tears on the phone (having recently lost his mother to cancer), I had no idea what to do with myself. I spent most of the rest of that Sunday inside my head, just thinking. I never experienced so much of the unknown until I had Cancer, but after spending the day thinking about what could happen I stopped... this was when I came back into the real world out of the world of deep thought. In this breif amount of time I said to myself "no matter what happens you are going to stay positive and you will always smile". So the next day I went up to the Oncology ward both my parents in shadow and met my consultant Dr Anthony NG he walked me through the whole of my diognosis and I spent the whole time smiling like a Cheshire cat! (okay perhaps I took my instructions to myself the night before a bit to literally) Although Anthony was happy that I took my diognosis (basically still the unknown) so well although feared that I hadn't really realised the severity of the situation. Anyway I started treatment that same day (5th of January 2015), quite a way to come from suspected appendicitis only 10 days earlier... by this point my world was completely upside down. So anyway after my first base treatment I met Jax a senior nurse from the Teenage Cancer Trust Ward, Area 61 at the BRI (Bristol Royal Infirmary), I was accepted with open arms by patients and staff alike. The atmosphere of the ward was just amazing so many activities, great facilities and there was always someone to talk to. I got through so many hard times on that ward including; not eating for a month straight and losing just over half my bodyweight, having my treatment upstaged due to the cancer bieng stronger than originally anticipated and having a mystery lump appear in my neck which had the potential to be cancer spreading... all of these situations and many more made so much easier by having people of a similar age and similar situation to talk to and relate to and the incredible social staff and nurses who managed to keep that promice I made to myself and put a smile on my face everyday. After 7 and a half months of intense chemotherapy, being in hospital for weeks at a time and three major operations amongst other minor operations, I was given the amazing news that my cancer had been killed... I had won! Now the reason I'm here today, I could not have won this fight without the help of the Teenage Cancer Trust. So to celebrate being rid of my disease for a whole year I am shaving my head to raise money for the Cancer Trust. However TCT isn't the only reason I am doing this on the 13th of August, a friend that I met on Area 61 unfortunately lost her fight, she was the smiliest, happiest and most positive person on the whole ward. So just remember if you decide to donate that not everyone is as lucky as me, so if you donate you're not doing it on my behalf but on behalf of those who are still fighting the fight, those who have won the fight and those like Jess Thomas a true credit to the whole of humanity that sadly have lost the fight.

Thanks for reading my story and please if you can donate then every penny counts... if it wasn't for the purpose of fundraising this story would have never seen the light of day and there are parts amongst this that even my closest family and friends don't know.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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