Young Limerick woman celebrates her brave battle won against blood cancer
THE DOCTOR'S tone was reassuring as it was, but upon hearing the words “it's clear,” Alannah breathed a sigh of relief that she had been waiting to release for two years - she was now cancer-free.
At the age of 20, Alannah Russell had been diagnosed with a later stage of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer which quickly swept away her dreams of life, careers and even love.
Young Alannah questioned everything about her choices, from socialsing to her diet and more before settling on what she knew she could now control - the ability to fight for her life back.
Having finished chemotherapy in January this year, Alannah waited weeks for a scan to see the results of her endurance.
The scan showed evidence of brown fat tissue covering areas of her lymphatic system which were cancerous, on her neck, chest and under her shoulders.
This fat was obstructing the doctor's view, and meant she was unable to see whether or not the chemotherapy was effective.
Admitting she could not see the results of the scan due to this tissue, Alannah was advised to keep a healthy lifestyle, and to come back in June for a follow-up, where she then received the good news.
“I was stage 3.75 on the cancer scale, and now I'm 0.1,” Alannah smiled.
Thinking back to her first appointment since chemo in March, Alannah remembered, “I felt that it wasn't the time for me to get good news,” she admitted.
Feeling more confident before the second scan, with her father and grandmother by her side, Alannah added, “this time, I was waiting in the waiting room, and I said, I'm ending this now.”
Recounting that this was one of the shortest meetings between Alannah and her doctor, she saw this as only a positive. “I wasn't complaining,” she chuckled.
Leaving the hospital, the TUS student thought to record the videos of each person she facetimed to deliver the good news. “Their reactions meant so much, and I have those now to look back on and keep forever”.
The future is everything to Alannah, and she realises that she has every option open to her, including her dream to join An Garda Síochána, which her GP just signed off on. For now, she wants to share her support to anyone in her shoes.
Full of unwavering hope, she smiled, “I'm excited. This year is going to be better than last year.”