Bristol2Beijing: A Huge Thank You From Us All
By Move Against Cancer
Aug 9, 2022
8 min read
The Difference Between Spring And Autumn Is Like Night And Day
22-year-old student Liam has been on a rollercoaster cancer journey over the past few months but is determined to achieve his one big goal…
“I came back from holiday in February and was feeling a bit out of breath but didn’t think too much about it. By March I was struggling to get up the stairs. I put it down to a bout of pneumonia, got some antibiotics and assumed the breathlessness would go away…
Things started to get worse and by May, after tests showed a shadow on my lung, I was told it was cancer. If I’m honest I had an inkling beforehand that was the news I was going to receive and so I’d actually started to come to terms with it way before I was officially told. My reaction might surprise you. I cried for about five minutes and then I was actually ok. I thought: “This is my life now”. My approach has been to treat it like a disease that I can manage and live with.
When I was given the choice of chemo or tablets I chose the latter. Chemo would have rendered me unable to get back to exercise for a while; I was really motivated to regain my strength and fitness and so I didn’t want anything to hold me back. I’ll be on the tablets for the rest of my life but it’s a small price to pay…
I embarked on the Move Against Cancer online programme to give me encouragement, advice and support as I began my journey back to fitness. At school I played football, rugby, basketball and I also ran. I haven’t done as much sport at university but I was still pretty active. Since my cancer diagnosis I’ve been very motivated to get fitter. Sophie, my Move cancer rehab instructor, has been amazing! She set me a gentle plan of exercises to strengthen my body and work on my core. I do these and some weights at the gym. She’s also got me back to running, just 10 minutes at a time. I catch up with her every week to look at the plan, adapt the exercises and chat about how I’m feeling. I’m always in a hurry to do more and more but Sophie is good at helping me to take my time! The progress has been amazing and the online programme has helped both with my physical and mental health. I’d 100% recommend it to anyone and the sooner you can do it, the better.
Friends and family are amazed at how far I’ve come. The difference between spring and autumn 2024 is like night and day. I’m determined that this cancer is not going to change my life. When I was diagnosed I alerted the university and they offered me to take a year out. I declined, sat (and passed!) my exams and I’m now in my final year. Since diagnosis I’ve learned a lot as a person. I don’t take stuff for granted any more. And I have one massive goal: to get a place in the London Marathon next April and give it a go. I’d love to be able to make that happen”.
