'Hi, my name is Janice. I'm a married mum of 39, and my story started in October 2004 when I noticed that my face and neck were puffy. I felt a little unwell and decided to have a check-up with my GP. It was suggested that my glands were slightly swollen and I was given some antibiotics.

'A week later nothing had changed, so I went back to a different GP. This doctor said I had a slight ear infection and gave me some more medication! A week later, still no better and my face even puffier, I decided to go to Accident and Emergency as I was going extremely purple whenever I leaned forward. The doctors did some blood tests that all came back normal and said it could be to do with my thyroid gland. I would need to have a special blood test done the next day and was to phone my GP for the results.

'However, the next day I felt awful. So I went to the local NHS Walk-in Centre, where a doctor finally realised that something was seriously wrong and referred me straight to the hospital. I stayed in for a week and they found I had a mediastinal mass, a large mass behind the breastbone.

'I was sent to a hospital in London to have a biopsy done by a specialist cardiothoracic surgeon. The results took over a week to arrive. Finally, I was informed that the mass was definitely malignant but that the quality of the tissue taken wasn't good enough to clarify which type of cancer it was.

'I had another biopsy done, this time by keyhole surgery. This showed that I had a high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was above and below the diaphragm, which made it a stage 3 tumour. I was started on a course of chemotherapy in December 2004 and was told that I would need 6-8 treatments. After the fourth treatment, I had another CT scan, which showed that the mass had reduced by more than 50%. This meant that the treatment was going to plan and that I would have eight cycles.

'My last treatment is booked in for next week (May 2005) and I can't wait for it to be over. I cannot begin to explain the effect this has had on my family and I. But it has certainly put a lot of things into perspective. We no longer take the simple things in life for granted, and materialistic things don't mean anything to us. Life is too precious - none of us know what is around the corner!

'If you read this, then I know that you will have been affected by lymphoma. All I can say is: be strong, keep a positive attitude at all times, appreciate every moment and just take things day by day. When I have reached really low points, I have got through by remembering that tomorrow is another day and that there are only a few more hours until that day arrives. It may sound silly, but it worked for my family and I. I hope this story has helped and I wish you good luck.'