Interview 30

Age at Interview: 19

Sex: Male

Age at Diagnosis: 14

Background: Single, no children; lives at home with his mother; finished A levels and he is having a gap year. Says that he want to study medicine. White British.

Brief outline:He was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. Treatment consisted of a biopsy - left neck, insertion of portocath in 2000 and eight months of chemotherapy, CLIVPP and ABVD. In remission since January 2001.

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Going to school provided a 'break' from his illness and treatment.



I think my mother in particular was very, very upset for the first few months because she took time off work to look after me. And the days were really long and we were here on our own and she would get upset and I'd get upset. But as treatment went along and I went back to school and they went back to work and we got normality going again it got easier. And right from diagnosis every time I went to clinic there'd be more good news and there'd always be some hope to cling on to. So certainly it, it did get back to normal quite quickly.

When I first started having chemo I was quite tired the very first time I was having the treatment but that did get better and it got to the point where I was going to school every day after treatment. I didn't miss any school. Once I, the day after I'd chemo I felt well enough to go. And school became a really, really important part of it all if not for studying just to go and have a break with friends and for the social things. And I, and there wasn't a teacher who would walk past from me wouldn't stop and ask how things were and it was really, really great to have that support. So I was really pleased I could keep going really.

So you kept going throughout your treatment?

I kept going to school all the way through my treatment as much as I could. I started off by doing half days just a few hours to get me out of the house. And I suddenly realised well there was no point in this so I went for whole days and I was absolutely fine and really enjoyed it. And then during the summer holiday when I was still having treatment it got a bit awkward because I didn't have that break and I really missed school. And of course we couldn't really go very far on holiday [laugh] but I did go out cycling and things and I was absolutely fine.
Teenage cancer

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