Young woman noticed something odd while getting ready for a night out
For most twenty-somethings up and down the UK, preparing for a night out means swapping outfits with friends and playing drinking games. But for Sara Titchen, a 24 year-old from London, it was the moment she noticed an obscure cancer symptom.
After realising one of her eyes was mysteriously droopy, she booked an appointment at the optician's for 9 May 2023. Her vision was fine, but her pupils were different sizes, which saw her promptly referred to a GP.
Concerned about lengthy wait times, she took the initiative of referring herself to Moorfields Eye Hospital near Old Street and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma after several tests. Speaking to MyLondon, Sara explained: "That morning I found out it was cancer. I went from a 9am opticians appointment to a 1am diagnosis, it was incredibly fast. It was terrifying really because I did not see it coming at all, I was very well. I'd been out all weekend.
Concerned about the wait she took herself to Moorfields Eye Hospital that day and after several tests was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma (Sara Titchen)"There were no drastic symptoms so it did cause a massive shock. I was terrified because I didn't know anyone else my age who had cancer or anything about lymphoma".
Sara's care began with fertility treatment, a topic she had previously barely considered. "All of a sudden having these kinds of conversations about your future is very overwhelming", she said.
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A further 16 rounds of chemotherapy at University College London Hospital (UCLH) followed. And going to collect her medication for the first time was a particularly overwhelming experience.
"I was on the teenage and young adults ward which was very sad being in an environment seeing other young people with cancer", she said. And exactly one week after starting chemotherapy Sara's hair started to fall out – a common but nevertheless difficult side-effect of treatment.
Sara recalled: "It's something you try to prepare for but nothing can really prepare you for it. It's just heartbreaking, I think until my hair started falling out and I didn't think I looked like a cancer patient, I was almost pretending everything was OK.
A further 16 rounds of chemotherapy at University College London Hospital (UCLH) followed (Sara Titchen)
Sara booked an appointment at the optician's for May 9, 2023. There she was told that her vision was fine but her pupils are different sizes and was referred to a GP. (Sara Titchen)"As soon as your hair falls out it feels very real. It was very emotional. It's the fact that you have no choice. It happens so quickly", she added.
Sara describes the beginning being the scariest time because of how it forced her to grapple with the unknown. But she says that "as time goes on, and you do all of these scary things you get a lot stronger and it makes you definitely feel a lot more grateful for what you've got". She then received a wig from The Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to young people diagnosed with cancer.
In October, she was given the all clear – but Sara now wants to make a difference to the lives of others who are struggling. She will host an event dubbed "The Big Chop" at the Depot in Shoreditch on 6 January 2024, to raise money and cut hair for The Little Princess Trust.
Sara said: "It's going to be a positive event bringing people together to potentially discuss something that they've never thought of before. It's nice for girls to cut their hair because it's also kind of getting on board emotionally with my journey. The most common age of girls that donate is nine years old. Which is incredible, but I think as older girls we should also be setting an example because of course hair is important but it won't be short forever."
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