Meet Ellie
Ellie was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 25, she writes about what it feels like to be a young adult diagnosed with cancer and her experiences as both a patient and carer.
I was 25 when I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. I underwent treatment and originally got the all clear in July 2022, but then relapsed 5 months later. After undergoing a stem cell transplant in March 2023, I then got the all clear August of the same year. Not even 24 hours later my fiancé unfortunately was told that he had relapsed with his acute myeloid leukaemia that was originally diagnosed 6 years ago when he was 22. He’s currently going through treatment himself. I’ve been able to see what this disease can do to a person from both sides of the coin, the patient and the carer.
Being a young person diagnosed with cancer honestly felt alienating. You lose your identity and naturally compare your new life which is mainly spent in hospitals and recovering in bed; to those around you who are naturally progressing in their lives in so many wonderful ways. You feel stuck but through no fault of your own.
Cancer puts a different perspective on life. After finishing treatment, there comes a point when you are ready to get your life back, but also want to live life to the full after being restricted for so long to hospital appointments and recovery. With the Ella Dawson Foundation, I’ve been able to take those steps a lot easier and quicker than if I was doing it by myself. I feel heard and that me as a person matters, whilst I still recover from my cancer diagnosis and moving forward with my life.
The help provided from the Ella Dawson foundation and all of the work that Ella did herself, has truly inspired me to want to give back, and to help others in a similar position to myself. I’m here to prove there is still hope and positivity to be found moving forwards from your cancer diagnosis. I want to be part of a team that helps fill the gap of what was missing within cancer care for young adults.
Here Ellie talk about her experiences: