"You have Cancer"

I guess this might come as a shock to those of you I haven't seen for a while, or been in touch with since last week.

Last Tuesday, 28th February 2006, I was told I had cancer.

I can't say it came as a huge shock to me - the various test and operations I had in recent months were narrowing towards that outcome, and when I had a lymph node biopsy 4 days previously, I guess the reasons for it were pretty clear.

A little background. Most of you will know me as a sporty chap - marathons, triathlons and the like, which I've done from school, through University and up to the present day. I'm never going to be 'Pro', but I've always loved sport, and the training that goes with it.

These days, my triathlon interest primarily centres on 'Ironman' distance - Swim 2.4 miles / Cycle 112 miles / Run 26.2 miles, and in July 2005 I completed my 4th Ironman in Roth, Germany. It was terrible...

My last previous Ironman was Austria 2002, and for various reasons I hadn't competed much since then. However, the bug was back for 2005, and with advice from my coach (Dawn Hunter), I set about getting back into 'Iron' shape. Despite a few hiccups on the way, my preparation was great! 90-mile rides, and 20-mile runs in training were 'easy', and I was ready to go. I thought I could even beat my best ever time of 10 Hours 39 Minutes. I ended up over 2 and a half hours slower... and honestly didn't know why.

I was mentally crushed. Colette, my girlfriend, said she'd never seen me in such a state as when I crossed that line. I guess I'm not the most openly emotional guy, but at that moment I was a wreck - mostly because I was 'ashamed' of my performance, even though I'd not quit when it would have been very easy to do so. If you have a bad game in football, you can put it right next week. With an Ironman, you can't.

That night I noticed some large 'lumps' under both of my arm-pits. Could have always been there for all I know. Ultimately, their removal 7-months later lead to my current diagnosis. In the interim, I've had more tests than I can remember - abdominal ultra-sound, chest x-rays, CT scans, multiple blood & urine tests, gastroscopy & colonoscopy (that's an 'up-yer-botty-scope' in English!), lung function check and finally the lymph node biopsy. And very grateful for Private Medical cover I am too!

Full diagnosis is "Hodgkins Lymphoma (Nodular Sclerosing)", a cancer of the lymph system, which is part of the body's immune defence system. Treatment will be a 6-cycle (1 cycle = 2 sessions, 2 weeks apart over a month) of chemotherapy. This starts on Wednesday (8th March) and all my treatment will be at London Bridge Hospital, which has started to feel like a second home over recent months! Treatment is on a 'day-case' basis, so, I should be able to relax at home in between. Aside from probable hair loss (and I'm a little ginger, so not a great loss is it!), side effects can vary, so hopefully I'll be on the 'mild' side.

Despite all of the above, I currently feel pretty good! It's a relief to finally have a diagnosis (and be able to get on with dealing with it), while the competitive element of me now feels fully justified in saying "I KNEW something wasn't right in Roth"!! The doctor's say that the outlook is good, and that Hodgkins is one of the most treatable forms of cancer. Being fit and positive is also a good position to be in.

I'll be updating this regularly, so do stop by an follow my progress. Many thanks to all of you who have forwarded kind words to me to date, your support is greatly appreciated.

Keep smiling and LiveStrong.
John