Ross Long was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013. He tells us about those who supported him and how he plans to write a book to lessen the isolation of other young people diagnosed with cancer.
Being told you have cancer isn’t news you could ever envisage receiving at 16 years old. But four days after my last exam in the summer of 2013, I was told I had abdominal B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I couldn’t hear the doctors talk about it being aggressive but treatable, but thankfully my parents were listening. All I could think of was how can someone fit and healthy be diagnosed? Like being a teenager wasn’t hard enough!
Before being ill I spent my time doing school work, dashing between sports events and the art department, and seeing friends. I’d built a community of like-minded people around me, then just like that, it was gone. My life became hospital appointments and treatment as I became more and more isolated. It felt like everything around me was imploding and I missed my routine, my friends and, most of all, the person I used to be.
And then I lost my hair.
I already felt like I’d been robbed of my identity, now I looked like the ‘boy with cancer’. I didn’t want to be different, I wanted to fit back into my old life with the people I knew around me. Even when my hair grew back, I still felt different. I went into survival mode and pushed myself to do as much as I could, despite being severely ill.
Before I knew it, I was back with friends and family and felt like more than just a number on my patient's wristband. But getting the all-clear was just the beginning. On paper, I’d been cured, but the invisible psychological imprints remained. I constantly felt like I was dealing with the fears of relapse and the unprocessed trauma and it’s still something I’m battling now.
But despite all the pain, my cancer journey has given me a new appreciation for life, and I continue to find happiness in the smallest of things. This is something I couldn’t have done alone and for this I have to thank every doctor, nurse, social worker, friend and family member that made it more bearable. There’s the team, too, that took me on a sailing trip between my fourth and fifth rounds of chemo with other young cancer patients, where I got to meet and chat with kids like me. It helped me normalise cancer and find another community that understood and showed me the inner strength I possessed.
I couldn’t have done it without them all, which is why I want to give back now I find myself healthy, in remission and nearing 26. I still love sports, but my artistic pursuits have now become a full-time job, as a freelance illustrator. As one with a story to tell, I’ve found myself in the position to write a book, to help other children and young adults struggling with a cancer diagnosis. But, to get this as right as I want it to be, I need some help. I’d be honoured to hear the stories of other children and young adults who have been diagnosed and their experiences with cancer, to ensure this story is told in the best way possible for the cancer community.
Get in touch
If this is something you feel you could help me with, I’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch via my email at rosslong@hotmail.co.uk or for updates on my self-help book, follow my social media channels @rosslong_studio
From Contact magazine issue 97 - Winter 2022
