Mum and Dad are officially mad!!!

Yes Mum and Dad are officially mad! They are doing a triathlon consisting of a 1K swim, 40K bike ride and to top it off a 10K run, all to raise a substantial amount for the Lymphoma Association. I used the Lymphoma Association a lot last year and it is slowly becoming the Benhams mission to raise as much money as we can for the association, as they rely solely on voluntary contributions.


The Lymphoma Association are a great source of information, support and comfort for those affected by lymphoma and their friends, families and carers. Lymphoma Association is the only specialist UK charity that provides accurate medical information and support to lymphatic cancer patients, their families, friends and carers.Lymphoma Association is the only specialist UK charity that provides accurate medical information and support to lymphatic cancer patients, their families, friends and carers.

If you would like to sponsor them please click here. Thank You for your continuing support.

Mum and Dad are doing their own triathlon so there aren't going to be supporters lining the road. SO if you are free on the morning of Sunday 12th September, I am sure mum and dad would appreciate a few cheers on route and some friendly faces at the finish, which will be at home. Email me on hayleyb563@hotmail.com and I will give you more details.

Mum and Dad - think you are defiantly going above and beyond the call of duty here! But what you are doing is incredible and you are definitely an inspiration. Your love and support, as always, but in particular last year was fantastic. Best of luck on the day, I'll be there. Love Hayley Xxx

The Tea Party is Back!

Following the success of last year when we raised over £1200 we are inviting you all again to come and join us for a cuppa and a slice of cake to help raise money for the Lymphoma Association.

The tea party is on 19th September 2010, from 3pm - 5pm at the Hinxworth Village Hall.

We are holding our tea party during Lymphoma Awareness Week to help raise awareness of the most common cancer in the under 30year age group; but yet we know so little about.

It is an open invitation so please bring along, friends, family, neighbours, the cat next door...whoever you like! Hope to see you there!

Hayley Xx

Ps. If you would like to help donate a cake or raffle prize then please contact me.

A Whole Load of Running!

On the 11th July 2010, Rebecca, Jen (Becka's sister), Jana and I took part in the London 10K run. All the training paid off and I completed the run in 1 hour 1 minute and 15 seconds, (with a loo stop!). If i hadn't stopped for the toilet I would have been on target, I think, for under an hour. The rest of the girls were just behind me. I would like to say it was enjoyable, but it was bloody hard work in the sun and heat. It was slightly worrying on the way around because I saw several people had collapsed on the side of the road and were receiving medical treatment. It was however, a great feeling to cross the finishing line at Whithall, and seeing my Mum and Dad stood there watching where I had watched the girls just the year before, in the middle of treatment.

To see the professional photos click here. I recieved a lovely email today from Lymphoma Association.

'We have now received a brilliant £1042.44 for which we are truly grateful.'

A really amazing amount and I would like to say a Big Thank You to everyone for their support. The sponsorship page is open until October so feel free...>;0 ) http://original.justgiving.com/lymphoma10km10

I have to say I didn't suffer too badly on the Monday, my legs were still functioning but I was tired!

This Sunday I took part in Race for Life, in Bedford, I know more running, but that is it for now! The first year I have actually participated, although last year I did go to watch Mum, Jill and Verity. This was the first year we were all going to do it together. Mum, Verity and I completed the 5K in just over 27 minutes and Jill finished 10 minutes ahead of her time last year. A pat on the back for all of us. It was defiantly more enjoyable than the 10K and the atmosphere was really inspirational.

Mum, Verity and I decided not to ask for sponsorship this year as we are doing a few fundraising events already this year, but if you would like to donate to the cause please visit Jill's Just Giving page.

I also went for a check up during the week, to see my consultant. He was really pleased with my progress, and said I looked really well. He was impressed with my running efforts! Bloods were all OK, although it still took a while for my veins to play ball, but it gave me chance to catch up with the nurses. Next check up due in November.

Off to NY in a few days for my sisters 21st birthday, a short break in the big city CAN NOT WAIT!

Hope your all well. X

Bit of a Set Back

Hi just thought I would update the blog, seeing as I have a bit of time on my hands and I feel I should be doing something! Unfortunately I have had to have this week off work due to a serve throat infection, which doesn't sound that bad but has knocked me for six. Maybe my body is not as invincible as it feels! It all started on Sunday and today (Thursday) is the first day I have felt able to do anything apart from lying on the couch infront of the TV! I guess now the antibiotics are kicking in and will be back at work on Monday.

I have been reading The C-Word by Lisa Lynch, Lisa Lynch writes the blog Alright Tit, which I discovered while I was ill last year. 'The C-Word is an unflinchingly honest and darkly humorous account of Lisa's battle with The Bullshit, as she came to call it. From the good days when she could almost pretend it wasn't happening, to the bad days, when she couldn't bear to wake up, Lisa's story is emotional, heartbreaking and often hilarious. The C-Word will make you laugh and cry, and ultimately reaffirm your faith in life.' - Amazon 2010. I have really enjoyed reading it, admire her honesty and love the way the book can make you laugh despite the subject of cancer.

I have now become a 'Buddy' for the Lymphoma Association. The Buddy scheme offers the opportunity for people affected by lymphoma to talk with someone over the telephone who has had a similar experience. The lymphoma association do their best to match up buddies so the number of calls you get, might not be frequent but hopefully when a call is set up you will be in a position to help, and advise as best you can. I atteneded a Buddy Training day at the LA's offices in Aylesbury about a month of so ago now. It was very intense but highly beneficial, and it was lovely to actually meet some of the team face to face. They do a fabulous job, are highly dedicated and such lovely people...so a BIG THANK YOU to them for all the work they do.

Training is going well for the 10K run I am running in July! I have really chuffed with myself and am on target to run it in under an hour!! If you would like to sponsor me please click on the link below:

http://original.justgiving.com/lymphoma10km10

Any donation however big or small, really does make a difference. So please please sponsor me, even if just the price of a pint of beer!

Seems a shame to break away from tradition so here are some photos I have taken recently!

London 10K Run

Last year a group of friends ran the London 10K run and raised a fantastic amount, click on this link to see their sponsorship page.

After the 10K Run last year.

This year I am going to be running it, along with a couple of friends. If you would like to sponsor us then please visit our sponsorship page. Thanks.

Have been starting to train in the gym and now the evenings are getting lighter and hopefully the weather is improving, I should be able to start running outside. Watch this space!

Happy Easter everyone! I get to eat chocolate again today :) mini eggs here I come!

Stevenage Football Match in support of the LA

On 6th March '10 we organised that the Stevenage vs. Crawley Town game would be held in support of the Lymphoma Association. To raise awareness a little piece was put in the programme...

'Today’s match is in support of the Lymphoma Association, Registered Charity No. 1068395, which provides information and support to anyone affected by lymphatic cancer (most common cancer in the under 30s).
HAYLEY BENHAM DIAGNOSED IN 2009

After a year of travelling, life couldn’t be better but I started to suffer with back pain which I just dismissed as getting back into the daily routine. I then developed flu-like symptoms accompanied by itchy skin and a persistent lump.
After various tests, and a lot of visits to my GP, I was told that I had lymphoma. I had never heard of it before, didn’t even know it was cancer and when you're only 23, that comes as a real shock! I found the Lymphoma Association a wealth of information and support.
My chemotherapy treatment lasted for eight months. Now just over a year since diagnosis I am enjoying getting my life back on track.
Please give generously to the charity volunteers in the stadium as every penny will be put to vital use. Thank you. http://www.lymphomas.org.uk'

It was a great day, friends, family and even the Mayor of Stevenage came down to support. We also did a bucket collection on the day and raised nearly £400 for the LA, a great amount and way above our expectations. A big thanks to everyone involved.

Good News from the Consultant.

Bit late in posting this, just wanted to update you all on my follow up appointment with the consultant in March.

The consultant was pleased to see how well I was doing. He was encouraged to see I was back at work three days a week and that my energy levels were returning to what they were before I had lymphoma. My appetite has now returned and I love my food again :). Back at the gym and training for the 10K run which I am going to do in July. I had some bloods taken, which took a while because my veins are still not play ball, but the results all came back normal.

In my follow up letter the consultant wrote:

'Hayley continues in her clinical remission'

which was nice to see in black and white.

Continuing with my photography...here are a few snaps from walking around Cambridge after my appointment.

Hope you are all well.

A Year On.

I know I haven't blogged for a while, but a year on from diagnosis I thought a blog was worthy. The last time I wrote was back in October after my follow up appointment. I am due to see the consultant again in a couple of weeks for my second follow up appointment so will let you know how it goes.

So what has been going on since October...well. I have moved out of home and into a two bedroom flat, not to far away. It is lovely to have my own place and home it still just 10 minutes or so away so I can pop in for a cuppa now and then and catch up with the family. After having a year of being very dependent it is a relief to have my independence back. Even though I am living on my own people are always around, which is nice.

I started work again on the 12th January, and received my first pay check this week :0). As I was only temping when I got diagnosed I didn't have a job to go back to as such so I have come across this temporary part time job which I am going to do for the time being. I am working for the council as a garage maintenance officer...not particularly glam or anything I would have ever thought to apply for, but after 2 weeks I actually quite like it. It is 18.5 hours a week which I am finding enough at the moment and it is about 60% in the office and 40% out and about (which makes a nice change to being cooped up all day even if it is a bit cold at the moment). I have been kitted out with a van, Hi Vis jacket and boots, haha.

So besides work and moving out, I have been catching up with friends and eating and drinking far too much! Although I have started the gym again and am even having a few personal training sessions! I had a great birthday weekend back in November and got totally spoilt. And a lovely Christmas and New Year.

I am feeling fine at the moment, a little tired maybe after starting work again, but nothing a few early nights haven't solved, no other aches and pains to report so lets just hope it continues. I kind of but lymphoma to the back of my mind for three months, but now feel ready to get involved in the lymphoma association again and have started writing on the message boards and I am finding out about becoming a buddy. Being busy getting my life on track has meant I haven't thought much about the lymphoma returning, but as ever it does sometimes creep into your mind.

Just so you are aware...we will be going the Great British Tea Break again in September and I hope to run the 10km with some friends in July to raise money for the lymphoma association, watch this space!

Thank you all for your continuing support. x

Follow Up Appointment

Well I am sorry it has been a while since my last blog, but I have been out and about again instead of stuck at home in front of the computer!

I went to see my consultant for my follow up appointment this week. First off the tan test...my doctor had told me I wasn't aloud to come back too brown from holiday, i passed! Then we discussed my general health, how I was feeling. Told him that I had felt fine since the last chemotherapy, no sniffles of anything and that I was gradually getting my energy levels back, this week has been really good I have been doing a lot more stuff.

Asked a few questions such as - should I go back to the dentist yet? YES as long as my latest blood results come back normal. Can I get my ear re-pierced? YES go for it. Can I go back to the gym, start horse riding again? YES go back to the gym...but why would you want to go horse riding (my consultant didn't actually say those words...but that was the impression I got!). Should I have the flu vaccine? YES if you are happy to do so.

The gist of it is that the lymphoma could come back at any time, at any point, as aggressive as before or not and it could manifest itself in the same way but it might not, there is just no telling. I basically have to be aware of my own body and any concerns I have I will communicate back to him and we will take it from there.

If all runs smoothly I wont see my doctor until February and then if he is happy, not for another 6 months and then if OK, yearly after that. My consultant was pretty laid back about whether he would scan me again or not, his general practice is to not scan again unless there is cause for concern because it creates unnecessary anxiety. I go along with this now, but may feel different in a years time.

Well it finally fells like a door has closed after Tuesday, it is not over but that part is done. As I have said previously but will say again and again, I really appreciate everyone who has been there, however big or small part I couldn't have done it without you and I THANK YOU.

Now for the next chapter - 'Getting my life back on track!'.

HOLIDAY

Totally relaxing. A few snaps.

Freedom

Went back to the hospital yesterday hopefully for the last time for a little while. I went to have my port removed. Ended up spending quite a lot of time at the hospital because I was last on the list! The actual procedure to remove it was very quick, I was in and out of theatre in half an hour. Had a small sedative to relax me! Then went into theatre, had a screen put up around my face so I couldn't see what was going on but could feel some tugging and pulling as they removed it. It didn't hurt, it is just the pressure you feel. Had to spend some time in recovery afterwards where they check your blood pressure. Had to wait in hospital for a while afterwards as I had an hour of intravenous antibiotics, to reduce the risk of any infection, a precaution because my blood count was so low. They kept checking my blood pressure too because it was so low! Finally left the hospital at around 2.30pm - hopefully won't be having to come back for a while - freedom!

Today my arm is a little sore and still pink from the anesthetic, it is bruising up nicely but all looks very neat and should heal in no time. It is nice to look down and see flat skin instead of the bump of the port.

9 days till holiday!!!

A Big Thank You

Last Thursday was the day of the tea party. I wasn't feeling on top form because of a cold I had been suffering from for over a week, but the adrenaline of the day took me through. It was a great day.

Went down to the village hall at about 11.00am and with help from some very good friend got it all ready. We got out the tables, set up the activities and decorated the hall. It looked good by the time we had finished, the hall glistening in purple and white the colours of the lymphoma association.

The tea party started at 3.00pm and it was overwhelming, the number of people that turned up and the amount of cakes and raffle prices that we were given. It was fantastic. As well as tea and cakes to try there were stalls with plants and preserves for sale, photo cards to purchase, a Celebrity Quiz, The Great British Tea Break Quiz and Guess the Weight of the cake. (If you are interested in the answers, drop me an email at hayleyb563@hotmail.com and I will send them to you!).

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this a very special occasion and such a huge success. It was great to see so many people come and show their support. We raised over £1200 at the Tea Party and together with donations received we have collected almost £1700 for the Lymphoma Association, an unbelievable amount.

Big smiley face :0)

Great British Tea Break

If you fancy a cup of tea and a piece of homemade cake this Thursday afternoon, come along to the Hinxworth Village Hall between 3pm and 6pm, all welcome.

Done and Dusted

So countdown is over, chemotherapy is done and dusted, hopefully for ever but at least for now. All went smoothly today. Saw the consultant..it was decided to leave out Bleomycin today because I have a cold, a slight tightness in my chest and a little shortness of breath. Bleomycin can cause problems it your lungs and it is suggested that it could react with a virus in the chest. Although this is very rare, it is better to air on the side of caution and it is the least important drug out of the four in ABVD, so seeing it was my last one and I have had it 15 times my Dr decided to give me a break today! Also some very good news - I can have a take out curry in two weeks, delicious - can't wait hope it is as good as I remember! Then I guess that means I can do things like go back to the cinema, swimming, being in crowed places - football matches and or course there is all the other take aways to catch up on...and the gym too!




So know time for the reflective part. I was thinking about what to write the other night when I couldn't sleep and knew I should have written it down then and there because now I can't think!


Well I think I have passed that bit of the test - chemotherapy that is and getting into remission. There is a lot more still to come and I am sure with that some ups and downs, but lets just hope I can go up and plateau up there for a bit!


It has been a rollar coaster of emotions, feelings and just generally. 'Good' days well as good as they can be, family days, friend days, inspirational days, days I have laughed, cried, frustrated days, anxious days full of what ifs, wanting to run away days and sleepless nights although not many I am a good sleeper and have some wicked little pills if I can't!


I can't say it has been easy but it hasn't been what I would call hard. There have been difficult times, things I have had to deal with I have never thought about before but overall you just have to do it. I think that we are quite resilient as a race, we kinda of deal with whatever is thrown at us and muddle through as best we can. I couldn't let it pass that today is the 8th anniversary of September 11th...there is always someone worst off than you.


Some friends come, some friends go, some deal with it better than others and friendships grow, people you don't expect surprise you and it is a lovely feeling to know they care. Some run away, don't know what to say, hide, I understand that too, wish I could of, but a message simply saying I don't know what to say is better then none at all. Thank you to everyone who has been there, through it all, you have all amazing, made it easier and you all know who you all are - sending some of that love back at ya.


Now got to get my life back on track...but a little bit of celebration time first hey! x

A week today...

So a week today I will be hopefully sitting in the chemo chair for the very last time! To be honest it can't come quick enough, this year has been god damm long so far and not very exciting. Bored of being sensible, bored of hospitals, bored of being stuck in the house, bored of having no motivation, bored of being moody, bored of not working, bored, bored bored bored bored!

Don't expect to feel miraculously better when its all over but at least I wont have to go to the hospital every two weeks to get pumped full of drugs, and energy/motivation levels should come back and stay back instead of getting knocked back down again. Hopefully once I return from holiday then I can start to get things back to normal, go to the gym, have a curry, go to the cinema, go out to the pub propably, go away for the weekend...just some of the things on my 'To do when I feel better list!'. Its all uncharted territory though so we will have to see.

How slow/fast can a week go, we shall see.

What a Relief!

What with the delights of modern technology I had to wait a little longer for my scan results than I had expected, but I got them this morning. The results are good, the scan is 'clear' but not completely negative, the radiologist remarked that he doesn't think there is any active Hodgkin's presents...However there are always quirks! There are some areas of uptake which the radiologist referred to as 'brown fat'. Apparently some people, not many, have these active areas of brown fat which can show up on PET scans. Other indications that the cancer has gone are that there are no active areas in the lymph nodes or in the area that was a concern on the chest x-ray. My consultant also remarked that my lymph nodes had reduced in size from my last CT scan...all good signs.

I also had another bit of good news over the past few days...I entered the lymphoma association's photography competition 'Look at Life Differently' and although my photo wasn't in the top twelve entries they want to use my photograph on the back of their calender! This is it below. To see the winning entries click here.

It is funny how things happen, On Monday I changed my 'count down to last chemo' at the bottom of my page to 2 weeks, a day early! From today it really is two weeks...roll on the 11th September now!