Karen

What cancer were you diagnosed with?

cervical cancer

What age were you diagnosed?

What helped you to thrive?

Having the support of my friends and family is something I appreciate more than anything and I will be eternally grateful for their support. However, I think my dark sense of humour also really helped me during my cancer experience. Being able to laugh and make awful jokes, actually helped me remain as positive as possible.

Karen's Story

I was diagnosed with cervical cancer in November 2014 and had a radical trachelectomy to remove my cervix and surrounding area in December.

My blog is a humorous and informative account of my story so far - although I don't post nearly as much as I should! I had a negative lymph node result (thank goodness) so now I have check-ups every 12 weeks. Each check-up involves a colposcopy so it is quite invasive. I feel very lucky that it was caught relatively early (stage 1b) but it is the scariest and most worrying thing that has ever happened to me. I thought I was invincible and could conquer the world, but in the space of a quick doctor's appointment, I realised how quickly the rug can be pulled from under my feet.

I like that Trekstock is exclusively for younger people with cancer. Having cancer at a stupidly young age feels incredibly unfair and it is good to know that there are others out there with the same anger and fears. It's also great to have helpful sections on the site, such as general health tips and financial advice. I want to get involved with Trekstock because I want to be able to be a part of this wonderful group and to be able to read people's posts/experiences and equally to share mine.

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