"This might seem hard to understand but I think If I were to be given the opportunity of turning back the clock and having a different life, one without cancer, I would still choose to have the same journey life has thrown at me."
Hey there, my name is Anna Hocquard and I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2007. I found a small lump in the front of my neck when I was 14. Over the months it grew bigger and bigger, with my doctors continually reassuring me nothing was wrong. I had to spend my 15th birthday in hospital having an operation to remove the lump in my thyroid, which turned out to be cancer and meant yet another operation and radioactive iodine treatments. It was a difficult time for me and my family, and life as I knew it had changed. It now had to include more blood-tests, scans, treatment and specialists' visits. I still have everyday battles of fatigue and tiredness-ongoing from having cancer, but I never let it stop me.
For me a really big part of dealing with my cancer has been the support I have had from my peers - teenagers all over New Zealand who know what it's like to live with cancer. I have connected to them through CanTeen. We have fun together; we support each other in the hard times, visiting each other in hospital, being there on the end of the phone, and honouring and remembering our friends who have died. I have learnt so much from these new friends like to appreciate even the small things, remain positive and most importantly, to never give up on life and no matter what, keep on fighting because life is precious.
This might seem hard to understand but I think If I were to be given the opportunity of turning back the clock and having a different life, one without cancer, I would still choose to have the same journey life has thrown at me. The awesome experiences I have had with my peers and the personal growth that I have gained may or may not have happened without cancer knocking on my door. Weird isn't it.
The charter of rights is a great move and it has my vote big time. In many ways I have been lucky to have had the support I have had through my cancer journey. But to get such support should not be a matter of chance, it ought to be a right of young people everywhere.