A Dundee cancer survivor who had a tumour the size of a grapefruit has told of how she fought her way back to health.
As well as battling the illness, Julie-Anne Alexander was struggling with her weight during treatment but she is now in remission and has managed to shed the pounds, proudly showing off her glamorous new look.
The 43-year-old was attending Weight Watchers sessions and exercise classes when she started to notice pain in her neck last year.
She was swiftly diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a relatively uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
Julie-Anne said: “The diagnosis came totally out of the blue. Apart from some pain in my neck, I didn’t have any other symptoms. I was busy with aerobics classes and Weight Watchers, as I’d always struggled with my weight.
“It turned out that I had a tumour the size of a grapefruit in my chest and it was pressing on my heart.The doctors were amazed that I was able to do aerobics without dropping dead.
“I started having chemotherapy, which makes most people lose weight, but because my treatment had a high dose of Penicillin I actually put on over two stone.That upset me, because having cancer was bad enough.”
Julie-Anne’s treatment finished in January and she has slowly been getting her life back, even returning to her weight-loss group just months after being the all-clear.
She is now focusing on being healthy and spending time with family.
Julie-Anne added: “It was only after my treatment finished that it fully hit me that I’d had cancer.
“Before that I was just so focused on the treatment, on all the appointments and just getting through it all.
“I coped quite well with the chemotherapy and even carried on working, but my confidence did take a hit with all the weight gain.
“My friends and family have been so supportive, and so has Sheena, the leader of the weight loss group. I’ve got down to my target weight, which is 11st 1lb, compared to the 13st 8lb that I was before.
“I feel really good, and being through a life-changing experience like cancer has given me a new perspective on life. I’m focusing on spending time with my family, which is the most important thing.”
