Jack Hamilton was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010, aged seven. Now at university studying medicine, he explains how he hopes to fulfil his dream of becoming an oncologist.
The summer of 2010 should have been just another normal summer holiday, and I was looking forward to the added bonus of countless hours of football from the World Cup. However, I spent most of the time lying on the sofa with pounding migraines, and in mid-July I was diagnosed with medulloblastoma following a seizure.
I’d heard of the term 'cancer' but never really understood what it was, nor its potential consequences. Being so young, I was quite naïve to everything that was to come. I believe this was a benefit to myself, as I never really knew what was before me or what I had to face. I was just grateful for the relief from my headaches after my first operation.
Over the next year and a half, each cycle of cheBut, as 2011 came, my outreach nurse decided that it was time I tried going back to my primary school, while also arranging a home tutor to help me catch up with missed work. I was apprehensive that I hadn’t seen my classmates in over six months and now had no hair, but I was warmly welcomed by the class who were just happy to see me.mo and radiotherapy seemed to roll into one. There were days where I naïvely felt positive and on the up, only to be demolished the next day as the treatment took effect. It felt never-ending, and something I would seemingly have to live with. It’s what ‘normal’ had begun to feel like to me.
I returned to school slowly by going in for one or two lessons a week, and gradually increased how much I went in. By the end of term, I was nearly back full time, apart from the odd stay in hospital. With the help of my tutor, Liz, I’d quickly caught up with missed work and was ahead of the class by the end of term.
"Cancer taught me to respect my limits, but at the same time, to challenge and push myself as far as I knew I could."
In February 2012, I was finally given the all-clear and have thankfully been in remission since. I attended school full time from then on and was nominated as school captain before moving up to high school. Up until this point, everyone in my "Cancer taught me to respect my limits, but at the same time, to challenge and push myself as far as I knew I could." “I want to help people in the same situation I was once in” school knew what I’d been through and had an understanding of my situation. When I started high school, though, the majority of people didn’t know about my cancer diagnosis. They looked upon me as an ‘ordinary’ pupil just like everyone else, except I’d often be asked what happened to the back of my head, which I’d happily explain. I did find it annoying, however, especially during PE, when I wasn’t able to do something as a result of my treatment. I felt as if I was being interrogated by people at times as to why I wasn’t taking part. Nevertheless, I knew my limits and wasn’t being pressured into doing something I knew I wasn’t comfortable with, or physically capable of. Cancer taught me to respect my limits, but at the same time, to challenge and push myself as far as I knew I could.
Science was a subject I was in love with from the start. I studied physics and chemistry up until S4 when I also picked biology for my exams. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study when I left school, though throughout my treatment I’d jokingly mentioned becoming a doctor. At the time, my mum and dad took this with a pinch of salt. They were just delighted that I was healthy. However, having become so enthusiastic about science - and biology in particular - I was determined that studying medicine and becoming a doctor was my calling. After all, I had the experiences that not many others would have. I knew what it was like from a patient’s point of view, and I was inspired by those who treated me at the Beatson, Yorkhill, and Southern General Hospitals.
So, in addition to being made school captain again in S6, I was ecstatic to gain the qualifications needed to apply to study medicine, receiving offers from Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. I also received an offer from Glasgow for the access to medicine course, which I was delighted to accept in the hope of studying medicine at my home university. The course helped me gain essential experience and I made friends with whom I hope to transition into medicine. I’m pleased to say that I passed with distinction and began studying medicine at Glasgow University in September 2021.
I’m now working hard towards my dream of one day becoming an oncologist and emulating those who inspired me during my own treatment. I want to help people in the same situation I was once in, using my experience to treat patients with a greater deal of understanding and empathy. And more than that, I want to provide hope and inspiration to children and families who are going through such challenging times.
"I knew what it was like coming from a patient’s point of view, and I was inspired by those who treated me at the Beatson, Yorkhill, and Southern General Hospitals."
From Contact magazine issue 94- Spring 2022
