Ben What cancer were you diagnosed with? Hodgkins Lymphoma What age were you diagnosed? 19 What has helped you to thrive? When I was diagnosed, I had the support of my friends and family, and the few other young people going through treatment at the same time as me, but unfortunately it was a few years before Trekstock came about, and I wasn’t lucky enough to live near any support groups for young people with cancer. I felt quite lonely, and coming to terms with your own mortality at 19, on your own, is not an easy thing to do. This is one of the real driving forces behind me getting involved with Trekstock - I don’t want anyone, young or old, to go through cancer and feel they’re alone. Because with the great work that charities like Trekstock do, you don’t have to be - there are loads of us here to support you! Ben's Story I was in my first year of university when I found a lump in my neck the size of a table tennis ball. I went to see my GP straight away because, well, that’s clearly not normal for an 18 year old is it?! I was in reasonable shape, I played cricket 5 times a week, surely it couldn’t be anything serious... right? I had several tests over the next few months and received a diagnosis of Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin Lymphoma. I had caught it early, in the grand scheme of things - Stage 2A. That didn’t make it any less terrifying, though... I went through 6 cycles of treatment - 2 of OEPA and 4 of KOPP. The first 2 cycles was hard, I gained a LOT of weight and lost all my hair. But luckily, I didn’t have too many issues with sickness once I got into the anti-sickness tablets. No such luck with KOPP, though! I properly went through the ringer with that, the longest four months of my life! I was lucky all the way through my treatment as my mum drove me to and from it - I’m not sure I would have coped without! After 6 months of pure hell, I got the all-clear, and have been lucky enough to remain in remission for 10 years this February. Manage Cookie Preferences