“It was only when the doctor began speaking about chemotherapy and wigs that I realised my diagnosis. I was so young."
Ellen Deegan from Stradbally, Laois was only 15 years-old when she received her cancer diagnosis.
“I began feeling extremely tired but didn’t think anything of it. One morning I woke up to find a lump on the side of my neck. I showed my mam, and we went to my GP. The GP gave me antibiotics and told me to come back in two weeks if there was no change.
“I noticed the lump only got bigger and more painful, so we went back to the GP. I was then referred to the hospital. I had a CT scan, an ultrasound and blood tests. A few days later, they discovered it was cancer.
“From there, I had to get an ambulance to Crumlin Hospital. Here I had a biopsy to determine my final diagnosis, stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“At this point, I didn’t know I had cancer, but everyone else did. I felt there was nothing wrong with me and I just wanted to go home.
“It was only when the doctor began speaking about chemotherapy and wigs that I realised my diagnosis. I was so young; I didn’t properly process it all. I broke down at the thought of losing my hair, I loved it so much and couldn’t bear the idea of not having it anymore.
“I underwent fertility preservation before I started my active treatment. The first half of my treatment was very intense, I spent so much time in hospital. Bone pain, mouth ulcers and fatigue were issues I had to deal with. Physically and mentally, it was a lot to deal with.
“I would encourage anyone reading my story, please don’t ignore any changes in your body. Its so important to get yourself checked out.”
“I was in third year of secondary school and tried my best to go in when I was able.
“Initially I had some counselling to try deal with everything, but I found it really hard to talk about, really up until now. That being said, I had amazing support, especially from my family and friends. My mam, dad and sisters were the backbone of it all, who did absolutely everything and more for me. Another big support to me was my Aunt Trisha, who had breast cancer many years ago. She understood in ways no one else could.
“I am now 18 years old and have just finished my first year of college. I still go for regular check-ups and will also be going through another round of fertility preservation, thanks to the Irish Cancer Society Childhood Fertility Project.
“I would encourage anyone reading my story, please don’t ignore any changes in your body. Its so important to get yourself checked out.”
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