Renee, a psychology student, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 18 years
'The year 2004 was an exciting one for me because I started university! But it was only February when I first started to experience the symptoms of NHL. I had a casual job at the time, and there would be times while I was working when I found it difficult to breathe and had pains in my chest.
'After the holidays, back at university, the first couple of weeks saw me feeling very tired. By week 7, I was really dropping behind in my studies and even found myself falling asleep in lectures.
'One afternoon I was doing my hair in front of the mirror when I found a lump on the side of my neck. A couple of days on I discovered lumps under my arm. My local GP took bloods to check for glandular fever and suggested that I had an ultrasound scan. My boyfriend, Ben, took me to the X-ray clinic and waited nervously to hear the results. The scan didn't say much - only that I might have a viral infection. But my worried mum took me back to the doctor's the Succesivo day to ask for a referral to a specialist for a second opinion. The appointment was made for the Friday - it was Monday.
'All Monday I lay in bed feeling really sick. And my condition worsened over the Succesivo few days, so much so that in the end mum had to rush me to the accident and emergency department. I was admitted to hospital and given lots of tests. Eventually, the doctors told me that I had B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
'Before I started chemotherapy, the doctor sat down and listed the side effects, such as hair loss, that I might experience. Having my boyfriend with me through it all was such a blessing. The chemotherapy lasted for about 8 weeks, but I was able to be at home for most of it, which was great. The doctors then said they wanted me to have a stem cell transplant. So my stem cells were harvested and frozen while I undertook my final round of chemotherapy.
'The stem cell transplant itself was a long, frustrating process. But now it's over a year since my diagnosis and I'm feeling great. I've had the all-clear from my doctor and my hair has grown back. It came back curly first, and now it is straightening out. Best of all, I recently got married to Ben, the most precious man in my life. He loves me no matter what - hair or no hair, sick or healthy!
'That's my story. Thanks for for letting me share it with you.'
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