It started in 2002...

It al started in 2002. I was 19, and [eventually] diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, stage 4.
I had a large mass in my chest (right lung cavity), that measured approx 10x19 cm.
It was a shock to us all, because i'd always been pretty healthy, and the only symptoms that i'd had was a cough, and shortness of breath.
I underwent various tests, and finally a course of treatment was decided - I was to have 6 treatments (lasting 6 months in total) of a very strong chemotherapy, called 'Frontal Hybrid', or 'ChIVPP/EVA' (which is the initials for the drugs I had).
It seemed to do the trick - although making me very ill. I lost a lot of weight, was sick a lot, lost all my hair, picked up numerous infections, and had a lot of blood transfusions, and a few months after the end, (March 2003)I had 15 days of Radiotherapy - which was a complete breeze compared to the chemo!

CT scans showed the tumour had shrunk considerably, and over time, I was told I was in remission, and I slowly got on with my life, trying to get it back to normal (whatever that is!).