Cerys Hopkins, a 22-year-old from Swansea, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in August after discovering a lump in her armpit, forcing her to make fertility decisions she had not expected to face for years. The university graduate, who studied computer games design and development, had been looking forward to starting her career and building a future with her boyfriend Jack, but instead has had to make major life choices while undergoing intense medical procedures.
In addition to chemotherapy, Cerys has had to undergo fertility preservation treatment. She said: "All the plans I had just kind of got put on hold. It was just a bit depressing, really. You're so young and you get told, 'Oh, you've got cancer' and I was like, 'Whoah, what do I do now?'"
Diagnosis and Staging
Cerys first noticed a lump in her armpit during the last week of May. She said: "I don't know how long it'd been there. It was just because it was like that heatwave weekend and I was wearing tank tops again because I'm a big hoodie person." After booking an appointment with her GP, she underwent a series of blood tests and was referred to the rapid diagnostic centre in Neath Port Talbot. She eventually had a biopsy in early July but faced a further wait of around three to four weeks before receiving the results.
Cerys was initially told she had stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma before being informed at a following appointment that her cancer was actually stage three. She explained that the original staging was an error in how her scans had been interpreted, rather than something caused by the time taken to reach her diagnosis.
Fertility Preservation and Treatment
One of the biggest challenges following the diagnosis was being told that chemotherapy could affect her ability to have children in the future. Cerys had to undergo fertility preservation treatment before starting chemotherapy, something she had never expected to have to consider at 22. She said: "I know I want kids in the future, not like right now and so being told that I may not be able to have them was quite rough. It hit me harder than I thought it would because I haven't thought about kids yet and it's made me realise, I do really want to be a mum one day."
Her fertility treatment lasted around two and a half weeks, with Cerys starting chemotherapy shortly afterwards in September. While the physical side effects have been difficult, she has praised the staff supporting her throughout treatment. Cerys said: "My nurses are lovely. They are such nice people. I cannot express how nice it is to have somebody be so nice to you in this time, just know what you're going through because it's their job. They do this day in day out. You get in there, you're tired, you're surrounded by other like-minded people and it's a good environment to be in because you don't feel different there. Everyone's the same."
However, the effects of chemotherapy can become particularly difficult once she leaves the hospital. Cerys said the journey home can be challenging as nausea, tiredness and dizziness begin to take hold. "For me, it would be fatigue. I like doing things, I like being able to go out and just do stuff but I have no energy to even stand up most days because of the chemo."
Family Support and Fundraising
Her sister, Ashleigh Cox, 34, who is a qualified paediatric nurse with nearly 14 years of experience, said the diagnosis was particularly difficult for the family. Ashleigh said she struggled with the news because her medical background meant she understood what Cerys could be facing. She said: "I have not coped very well with this at all. I think because I knew. When she had the diagnosis, my head went... I knew everything that was coming."
Ashleigh said she was immediately thinking about the potential side effects of treatment, including hair loss, fertility difficulties and the obvious emotional impact her sister would face. She added: "I knew she was going to lose her hair and I knew that she wouldn't want to, and would maybe be quite sad and quite isolated. It was just a collision of my nurse role and then my family role. It was just too much." Ashleigh said seeing her younger sister's plans change so suddenly had been heartbreaking. "She's just qualified uni. She was meant to be buying a house with her boyfriend and finding her long-term job, a career. All of that has had to go on hold. She's only 22. She is my baby sister. I've always looked after her."
The family is now fundraising, with Ashleigh planning to climb Yr Wyddfa, and their mum will shave her head. Cerys said: "My boyfriend, Jack, he is my biggest supporter. I like to call him Nurse Jack when we are at home because he's doing everything for me."
Asked about the delay in receiving her results, a spokesperson from the Swansea Bay Health Board said: "The health board has not received a complaint from Cerys but has received correspondence from her stating she is not unhappy with the diagnosis process or treatment received, and that she is extremely grateful for the care she was given. If Cerys does have any concerns, we are sorry to hear that and would very much welcome the opportunity to discuss them with her."
