Interview 10
Diagnosed with low grade follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2001 following a biopsy of a lesion in her eye. Treatment was radiotherapy to the eye for 6 weeks. Two years later an enlarged lymph node was removed from her groin.
In 2001 she noticed a red dot in the corner of her left eye which she mentioned at a routine eye checkup. The optician referred her to an ophthalmic surgeon who took a biopsy from her eye and diagnosed low grade follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She had also been experiencing itchy skin and night sweats but at the time had associated these with the menopause rather than any illness. She was treated with daily radiotherapy to the eye for 6 weeks with the rest of her face shielded from the radiation by a specially-made mask.
Two years later a lymph node in her groin became enlarged, which she mistook for a hernia. This was removed surgically and she has been in remission ever since. She feels her lymphoma experience has not been nearly as terrible as people expect a cancer experience to be. She has remained calm and feels very optimistic.