Lymphoma: ‘I had time to freeze my eggs before starting chemotherapy’ – BBC News

A west Belfast woman says she was lucky to have had time to freeze her eggs before starting chemotherapy in her fight against cancer.

Maria Austin, 25, who is a classroom assistant, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January.

“Egg freezing was crucial and very important because I am still young, I want to start a family when I am older,” she said.

Maria said she was sharing her story to highlight the importance of early cancer diagnosis and to help other young people cope with symptoms she describes as “life-changing”.

It comes as the latest statistics from the Department of Health (DoH) show that less than a third – 29.8% – of patients started their cancer treatment within the recommended 62 days – well below the 95% target.

The latest figures aim to give an idea of ​​waiting times for patients accessing cancer services between the first three months of 2023.

They show a dramatic drop in the number of people starting breast cancer treatment within the recommended time frame.

Between January and March, only 34.1% of patients requiring treatment for breast cancer were seen within 14 days of their urgent consultation by a general practitioner.

For the same period in 2023, this figure was 84.2%.

The ministerial target states that all urgent referrals for breast cancer should be processed within 14 days.

The latest waiting times for cancer treatments reveal that none of the targets set by the Minister of Health have been met.

According to the Department of Health, the figures should be treated with caution as Encompass – the new electronic medical record system – is still under development at the South Eastern Health Trust, which has affected the data.

Sarah Christie, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said she believed the system was “on the verge of collapse”.

“We have had solutions in many reform reports since the early 2000s.

“The solutions exist, but nothing has been done with them,” she added.

For Maria, early diagnosis was crucial in allowing her to freeze her eggs.

“Chemotherapy and cancer affect fertility and can cause early menopause,” she told BBC News NI.

“Having that little two-week window to go through fertility treatment was tough, it was three needles a day, but I was lucky to have that opportunity.”

Maria, who underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, said that at first she kept asking herself, “Why me?”

She said the constant illness and losing her hair was difficult.

“One day my hair just kept falling out. Within four weeks I had no hair left,” she said.

“It was a challenge, and now I use wigs and scarves. I tried to find beauty elsewhere, so I work on my makeup.”

Maria’s chemotherapy has paid off. A recent PET scan revealed that the tumor has shrunk.

She will now have to undergo radiotherapy.

The importance of early diagnosis is echoed by Sam Clarke, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2015 and underwent a stem cell transplant.

The 51-year-old, who lives in Bangor, County Down, said being “caught and reported” at an early stage was crucially important, but it was something he sadly did not always see with his family and friends.

“Access is different for everyone,” Sam said.

“It depends on your age, your background, but all of that needs to be addressed to give everyone a quick and uniform platform to be seen as quickly as possible.

“It’s very random because the first person you need to see is your GP, and you may not need one for weeks or even a month or two.

“There’s also the referral and going through the system, because everyone is already working so hard to take care of other cancer patients.”

Maria and Sam are both positive, humble and extremely grateful.

During the filming of their stories, there were tears and laughter.

Maria said she turned her diagnosis into something positive and many people reached out to her through social media.

“There’s not a lot of support for young people with cancer, the side effects on body image including weight gain and hair loss. If I can help, I will,” she said.

“Don’t let the word ‘cancer’ get you down, be positive and if you have that positive attitude, those around you will be positive.

“Don’t let the word ‘cancer’ or ‘sick’ define you, just be a fighter.”

Sam said he was now half Welsh as his stem cell donor was from Wales and he appealed to the public to sign up to the stem cell register.

“His blood and stem cells were transplanted into me and made up my white blood cells, so my blood type eventually changed to his – it’s remarkable what happens, but his donation kept me alive,” he said.

“So it’s not just about chemotherapy and radiation, it’s also about helping the public open their minds to see what they can do to help people with cancer.”

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. It develops when blood cells called lymphocytes become abnormal.

Normal lymphocytes fight infections. They are part of the lymphatic system that helps protect your body from infections and diseases.

There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

When a person has Hodgkin lymphoma, the B cells in the HL begin to multiply abnormally and begin to accumulate in parts of the lymphatic system such as the lymph nodes (glands).

The most common symptom is a painless swelling of a lymph node, usually located in the neck, armpit or groin.

Cancers diagnosed in people aged 18 to 49 in Northern Ireland have increased by 20% over the last 25 years.

The study, conducted by Queen’s University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, compared statistics from 2019 with those from 1993, the year the registry began recording.

Figures show that in 2019, 1,076 people aged 18 to 49 were diagnosed with cancer.