Joe's story

I was treated for cancer at UCH London in the Teenage Cancer Trust unit there. Initially I was given 4 sessions of chemo. Secondly 2 sessions of chemo & full body radiation and a Bone Marrow Transplant. It felt like I was there for a long time, but in reality, given the treatment that I had it was actually pretty quick!

I was very lucky to have my own room most of the time. I hated being in a bay, as I like my privacy, so it was great to have my own space. The staff were great, and UCH is pretty new so it was all fairly high tech and modern. I hated the food, obviously, but the nurses didn’t mind people bringing food in for me. I also hated the fact that I was on floor 13 which meant that I couldn’t have a window open. Obviously its never going to be a 5-star hotel, but given some of the hospitals I have seen through various rugby injuries in my past, UCH is very nice! I was very comfortable there.

I spent most of the time with my mum and dad when I had treatment, and I always had friends visit. I know it was hard for them when they came to see me, but I think that my attitude in being normal helped. I guess the best things to talk about were to do with normality. I think this helped to take the focus away from the situation. If I spoke to the nurses I always used to check up on my progress and got to know a lot about leukaemia (more than your average person) to help me understand what was going on.

All the staff were amazing on the ward. In particular I had a few favorite nurses. I also had a great relationship with the complimentary therapy team. I used to wind up and joke with the staff quite a bit for amusement, and I think this went down quite well. I guess it takes the awkwardness out of the situation. There is nothing worse than knowing your actions are making someone else nervous! I made some great mates on the wards and there were quite a few funny moments, including a great water fight with some “borrowed” syringes!

I live a very active and fun life following treatment. I have moved on and am working full time in finance. I also race cars and this has taken me to some fantastic places around the world! The best thing is that despite having had a serious health issue a few years ago there is nothing that stops me being a normal 23 year old today. In the future I guess one day I’d like to have a family... But until then I want to live life to the full. Race cars, ski, surf, travel etc. My overall ambition is to race and win Le Mans (24 hour race in France).

I think that to be able to put down in words what I have learnt through my cancer experience is impossible. There are so many dimensions to what I have learnt, to sum it up I guess it has taught me the value of everything (I know… call it a cliché, but it really has!). There should be a degree for people who have come through cancer at a young age! Lets get a campaign going!

I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. There is no point in worrying about it, but I think awareness is very important. There is a difference between being aware and being worried.

To teenagers who’ve just been diagnosed, I think the best advice would be to be to stay strong mentally. Your mental strength is something you personally have control over. Other things maybe out of your hands, but I think half the battle is mental. I think the key to that is trust, if you know that the doctors looking after you really know what they are doing and will always give you the best chance possible.