peter
“We met in 5th year in school. She was 15 and I was 17 and we’ve been together ever since. It was a ‘love at first sight’ kinda thing. I was 22, in college, working part-time and training for a marathon when the shit hit the fan. One morning, I woke up and half of my face was numb, we went to the hospital and a few days later they diagnosed me with bone marrow lymphoma, with a 10% survival rate. The doctors told us that this type of cancer is so rare they only have a hundred cases in the world and to survive, I would have to get a bone marrow transplant which can be hard to find. It wasn’t easy news to digest but I am blessed with a very positive family and friends whose support kept me going. My girlfriend took a year out of college just to be with me. She often slept on the hospital floor. It was really tough on her too but she never left my side. She was my rock. During treatment we actually had lots of fun, we laughed a lot. We watched movies together and whenever I was feeling better she would sneak me out and we’d go to the beach or eat out. I was lucky; they found a bone marrow match, so just before my surgery I decided to propose. It wasn’t the most romantic setting, in the hospital, but she was delighted and said yes! After surgery, I was getting better, and life was moving on. Back when they diagnosed me, they told us that even if I did survive, I would never be able to have children; but after I completed the marathon and we got married we went for a test anyway and my markers came back as normal. We lined up the dates and nine months later we had a healthy girl. We call her Harbour Hope. She is living proof that shit can hit the fan but you should never give up on life before life gives up on you!”
Irish Cancer Society provides free information, advice and support to anyone affected by cancer. If you are worried about any aspect of cancer call the Freephone Cancer Nurseline 1800 200 700 to chat to a Cancer Nurse. The Nurseline is one of many free services provided by the Irish Cancer Society through funds raised on #Daffodilday
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