Marc Townell was diagnosed with lymphoma last year

Marc had been back and forth to the GP for a few months, with fatigue and a persistent cough, but in the beginning doctors had just thought it was a viral infection until a chest X-Ray showed he had a mass.

A CT scan, bronchoscope and lymph node biopsy followed, which confirmed he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a rare cancer of the immune system, affecting around 1,900 people in the UK each year.

“Finding out I had cancer was a bit of a shock,” explained the 30-year-old research scientist, from Compton.

“But it wasn’t a huge surprise, it always felt like it was worse than a virus to me and once the doctors mentioned a CT scan – I started to prepare myself for the worst.

“It was almost a relief to finally get a diagnosis and be able to start moving forward again.”

Marc was diagnosed with stage 4a Hodgkin’s lymphoma in July last year, meaning the cancer was present in many of his lymph nodes and it had spread to his organs, such as the liver, bones and lungs.

But, despite Hodgkin lymphoma being an aggressive cancer that can spread quickly, it is also one of the most easy to treat, 80 per cent of people will live five years or more, and most of these will be cured.

He started chemotherapy in the August after his diagnosis, but just before his first course began, his wife, Annie, had a surprise for him.

“I was just about to start chemo when Annie told me that she had a surprise for me and then passed me a positive pregnancy test!

“Now that really was a shock, but it gave us a light at the end of the tunnel and something to focus on when we felt low. Our baby is due in April.”

Marc has completed six cycles of chemo, but the gruelling treatment took its toll on his immune system, which was already low due to the cancer, and he was struck down with infection after infection. Doctors decided to improve his immune system by giving him injections to boost his bone marrow production.

“During my treatments, I have kept working from home to try to keep a sense of normality,” he said.

“It hasn’t been easy at times for me, and it has been very tough on my wife and both our families – who have been a real source of strength to me.

“The side effects can be difficult and limit me more than the cancer does sometimes.

"I get pins and needles in my hands and feet, which stop me doing too much, but the tumour is shrinking and I am really hoping to be clear of cancer very soon, although there is a chance of it reoccurring. To know that I have now finished my treatments is such a nice feeling.

“The team at Southampton General Hospital have been amazing, and the Macmillan nurses and out-of-hours service have been really helpful. We don’t always realise how good the NHS is until we need it.

“Having cancer has taught me not to take anything for granted and to live for the moment instead of becoming obsessed about the future and all the variables that we face in life. I’m really looking forward to enjoying life again.”

Marc saw THREE GPs before being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

He is supporting the launch of an online learning tool, developed with the Royal College of General Practitioners to increase GP understanding of lymphoma and improve survival and quality of life for lymphoma patients. 

Early detection of lymphoma can help improve the chance of survival and patient experience, therefore identifying the signs and symptoms of lymphoma as early as possible is vitally important.

“Lymphoma can be tricky to diagnose sometimes and I saw three GPs before I was diagnosed myself,” Marc said.

“Because of that I would like to encourage GPs to make the most of all of the services available to them.”

The online learning tool aims to increase GP understanding of lymphoma including diagnosis, how the different types of lymphoma appear in patients and the management of survivors in primary care. 

To find out more, please visit: lymphomas.org.uk