Teenage Cancer Trust staff became like my second family

I had to start my treatment in intensive care, after being sent to A&E at my local hospital and having various tests. One of the staff there said: ‘I hope you like puzzles and reading as you’ll be here for a while’. This wasn’t the bedside manner I expected.

But I was then transferred to the Teenage Cancer Trust unit in Bristol, where I’d get cancer care designed for my age range. The unit itself was really nice – and so were all the staff. I knew I’d be having treatment for two and a half years, so they quickly became like my second family.

During the first stretch I was in hospital for nine weeks. Because I was on the unit, I had my own room and there weren’t set visiting hours. I had loads of friends come to visit me which lifted my spirits. It’s great that there’s a social space for family and friends to use too.

My mum was even able to stay overnight with me, which would have been unheard of in a normal adult ward. It really helped, as I’d have doctors come in and out on their rounds and I was never sure what to ask them, but my mum could ask questions for me.

Jax, my Teenage Cancer Trust Nurse, did anything and everything for me. I was halfway through my Masters degree when I was diagnosed – she wrote letters to my university to explain my diagnosis, which allowed me to get extensions on my assignments rather than resit the course.

I could call or text her work number if I needed anything. It was so useful to have someone I could speak to about side effects who could either answer my questions, or go away and book tests for me, to save me having to ring around to try and find answers.

For a while I had to have weekly blood tests. Jax would take the blood, and then rather than me having to wait around to see the consultant, she’d follow it up for me and send me the results the next day. It meant I was in and out in about 10 minutes, which helps when I’m also studying.

Cancer put a financial strain on our family. Having a parent go from a full time wage to just a carer allowance was difficult. For eight months, we were driving an hour to and from the hospital almost every day, so it became expensive to run the car.

Amber was my Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinator when I started treatment. She understood that being in hospital so much can be expensive, and helped me fill out forms for various grants I was eligible for.

Amber also organised pizza nights on the unit, which got everyone out of their rooms and got us talking. Friends and family can give you so much support, but unless they’ve been through it, they can’t fully relate – so it’s nice to chat to other young people who can.

We talked about what it was like on the unit and how we dealt with things. It wasn’t always about cancer though – we’d talk about the rest of our lives. One girl is at the same secondary school that I went to and she’s applying for university, so we talked about what she wants to do in the future.

Something no one tells you about is how some side effects never go away, and how you never truly feel ‘back to normal’. Sometimes I feel adjusting to life after cancer is tougher than going through it.

I’m still working hard to complete my Masters degree. After that, we’ll see where life takes me. I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself, and I think the right job will come along when I’m ready for it.

I joined Teenage Cancer Trust’s Youth Advisory Group as I want to advocate for people to go to the doctors and keep pushing for a diagnosis if they think something’s wrong. We are more in tune with our bodies than anyone else, so we know when something isn’t right.

I made a video on TikTok about my signs and symptoms. It’s been viewed by nearly 160,000 people, so if even one of those gets diagnosed sooner after seeing it and going to the doctors, then I’ve done my bit.