When I was a small child from when I was about five to seven years of age back in the 1970s, my Mother felt a very small lump in my throat, which was a size of a pea. My Mum was very concerned but I wasn't because it wasn't bothering me in any way at the time.
My mother took me to the doctors, they said at the time was best to leave because they didn't know what it was and they were concerned that it may have given problems at the time if they did anything.
Many years later when I was about twenty - three I was on work experience at an elderly people's home. During my lunch hour, I was eating strew in the staff room and struggled to swallow the meat which was when I started to get concerned.
At the time I was sharing a flat with two young women with learning disabilities similar to myself so I told my support worker at the time and I told my Mother. The support worker came with me to the doctor and checked me to find a lump there and they said they would write to the hospital and I should hear soon. Within a few weeks, months, etc I cannot remember, it was back in the early 90s I got a letter to tell me when I can come into hospital. I came in as if nothing was wrong with me. I had my operation the next day, I was in the hospital for a week and out for Xmas 92.
I had an appointment in the January of 1993 to be told it was cancer, I needed to have some limp glands out, then I was back in the hospital, after another two weeks in the hospital next appointment I was told I had to have fifteen of days Radiophapy. I found the treatment made me feel more unwell than cancer with not sleeping, feeling sick, and having a mouthful of Ulcers. Luckily for me, the type of cancer I had didn't spread to any other part of my body. Back then to be honest I found it hard to understand because in those days we were only aware of such illnesses as cancer and stroke in the elderly.
Just to say I haven't written my story to be felt sorry for I have raised awareness of my experience to hopefully help others not to cope alone. If you are facing the same or anything similar you know someone who is, please do not suffer alone. Please see a doctor etc. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/information-and-support https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/cancer/
I wouldn't have said I was the first young person to have pulled through Cancer but I was probably one of the few who did back in the early nineties. When I was a child and teenager as far as I know we were only aware of Cancer in the elderly.
The purpose of this site isn't just about the awareness of cancer but the awareness of disability and mental health, which doesn't just affect the emotional Mental health of the disability of living with Cancer but the emotional Mental health of those who are supporting these people. Not just meaning the personal care, support different people need different ways such as home support, education, work, etc but what is involved in Cancer and Mental health itself such as treatment, care, etc.
Even when you are well in other ways, when facing mental health, disability other problems that are there in you for life one way or another, it is hard to get through every day, whether you are having good days, bad days, etc. Having Cancer or and other serious illness that people who don't face the same as you can face such serious illnesses as Cancer, for you on top of disabilities and mental health Cancer for example is something extra to cope with and even for those involved in your life looking after you and or supporting you.
Without confusing the issue not sure about others who face disabilities, mental health, etc, I can only speak for what I face. The main effect I face is guilt about whether I should or shouldn't for example having to depend and a burden on others but I cannot say I don't support in most areas of life when I do and that's how I tend to feel whether I am unwell or not but whether or not how I feel is part of the problems I face but that feeling has been there all my life and maybe for the rest of my life. However' as furstraighting, it is when having always lived with it, you tend to learn to live with it because you have no choice but to, when really I don't think we ever do, which I know makes no sense, which is a strange one.
What can we do about it? We can and can't do anything really. We have faults to bear because are all human, having disabilities, mental health and other problems is no excuse for everything but they are a part of affecting a person's life how we seem and are understood, even misunderstood by others where so much awareness needs raising. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/features/mental-health-for-all.html
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