Laura's story – non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Laura was initially diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2018 after suffering months of persistent coughing and weight loss. Scans showed tumours in her chest that were pressing on her lungs. She began a course of chemotherapy – spending her 21st having treatment – but instead of shrinking, her tumours started to grow.

Crisis point came on New Year’s Eve 2018 when Laura became incredibly breathless. On New Year’s Day 2019 they were so alarmed they rushed her to A&E. Scans showed her chemotherapy had caused fluid to build up around her heart, stopping her breathing.

"My heart stopped for 25 minutes and my parents were called back to the hospital to find the nurses trying to manually restart my heart while simultaneously draining the fluid.”

Laura’s heart was re-started and she was put into a medically induced coma to protect her brain and body. Her parents were warned that, if she survived, she may have suffered brain damage.

Two weeks later Laura was woken out of her coma in intensive care. Her recent memories had been wiped, she did not remember that she had cancer, and had no idea what had happened.

“At first, I would only speak Hungarian, my childhood language. I expected my brother, who was 14, to be about 7, and I didn’t remember anything about my illness or even events from recent years.”

Laura’s family helped her through her recovery, talking to her constantly and reminding her of pictures and videos. Over time Laura recovered most of her memories and learned to do everything again. In February 2019 she was put onto a different chemotherapy regime, which shrank her tumours without complications.

In June 2019 Laura had a stem cell transplant to reboot her immune system. Scans since then have shown that the tumours in Laura’s chest have shrunk to a tiny size and are no longer active. She has been declared in remission and has just started a college course in theatrical make-up.

Laura's close encounter with death gave her a more positive outlook on life and made her determined to raise awareness of cancer and raise funds for essential research.

“When my memories came back, I remembered watching Stand Up To Cancer in hospital with my sisters when I was first ill. The comedy made us laugh so much, and the cancer stories made us cry. It made me realise how important research is and how much fundraising matters."

After her recovery, Laura held a Hungarian-inspired fundraiser brunch for her family to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.