A YOUNG woman from Bournemouth has spoken out about her experience of being diagnosed with cancer during the pandemic, ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4.

Eleanor Wood, 23, was told she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma after finding a lump in her neck in June 2020.

Unable to get a face to face consultation due to the pandemic, she was told the heartbreaking news over the phone.

She said: “I had a consultation booked, over the phone, I was waiting around on that day and nobody called. It wasn’t until two days after that I got a phone call out of the blue, he said ‘it’s come back as Hodgkin’s lymphoma.'

“I was distraught and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was on my own partly because I wasn’t expecting it to be bad news but partly because I was caught off guard, I’d been waiting around for two days. That was definitely an effect of Covid.”

Eleanor had chemotherapy for six months and experienced a number of side effects from the treatment.

She said: “It was a complete shock to my body. I was so fragile, I could hardly move. I was put on really heavy sedatives for the sickness and medication for my anxiety around it.

“I don’t think any of us realised how hard it would be. I have a history of anxiety and panic disorder so it was always a big worry for me, how I was mentally going to prepare for this, but I also had this comfort in a way knowing I had got through things before so I could get through this.”

Eleanor is now in remission. Despite everything she was going through, Eleanor continued with her university studies during treatment.

Eleanor added: “There are so many things I’ve achieved since having cancer, even small moments like when I took a sip of tea for the first time since losing my appetite during treatment.

“Despite it all, the pain, fatigue and emotional torment, I graduated with a first from university. But I think most importantly, despite it all, I have found compassion for myself. It’s easy to hate the body that made you so ill, but despite it all, I found space to recover and be kind to myself.”

Eleanor was supported by charity Young Lives vs Cancer throughout her cancer journey.