'In September 2003 I discovered a lump under my arm and near the breast area. I left it for a month or so, thinking it might just be a swollen gland, but it didn't go away. I went to my GP who referred me to the breast clinic - I got to see a consultant within a week.

'I was given a mammogram and an ultrasound scan. The scan showed a tumour and possibly some smaller ones around it. The consultant said he thought it was probably a slow-growing lymphoma. A week or so later I had the enlarged lymph node under my arm biopsied and was told I had low-grade lymphoma.

'At this point I was in a terrible state of shock. I had cancer - the disease that everyone dreads - and I couldn't believe it had actually happened to me.

'My biopsy was sent for more detailed analysis to a specialist hospital and in the meantime I was sent for a CT scan and bone marrow biopsy. The bone marrow biopsy was painful, but I found the CT scan even more distressing.

'I saw a specialist consultant who told me I had follicular lymphoma. I also had enlarged para-aortic lymph nodes, but my bone marrow test was clear. Since I had enlarged nodes both above and below the diaphragm but no obvious symptoms such as weight loss or night sweats, I was diagnosed as stage IVA.

'My consultant said that I should remain on "watch and wait" and that no treatment was recommended unless the disease progressed or I started to have any other symptoms. I was also told that, although follicular lymphoma is normally slow growing, it is unlikely to be cured.

'It was at this point that I decided to learn everything I possibly could about my disease. I spent hours on the Internet, trawling every website and reading every research paper that I could find about follicular lymphoma. I also started looking into alternative therapies and nutritional supplements.

'In the meantime, having got over the initial shock, I had found an odd sense of empowerment through the experience. Suddenly my life had a new sense of focus and perspective. I felt I had become a gentler and more rounded person. I was in less of a rush all the time, had more time for other people, and started doing the things I always meant to do but never got around to doing.

'This was not because I thought I was going to die (as I had initially expected), but because the experience had brought me a new sense of humility. I knew that I didn't have the worse cancer in the world, and that there were healthy people in the world who were far worse off than I was. For example, women in Africa who live in a hut smaller than my garden shed and who have no possessions except for a small pan and nothing with which to feed their children.

'I also knew that I lived in one of the best countries in the world to get ill in. I would receive the best treatment in the world and wouldn't have to remortgage my house to receive it, as people in other countries without health insurance might have to do.

'Having done my research, I also knew that there were lots of new treatments out there - and new ones being developed all the time - that would be there when I really needed them. I understood that, rather than rush into treatment that might make no difference to my disease progression and possibly "burn my bridges", it was better to wait and save the "big guns" until I really needed them.

'I continued my research into both traditional and "alternative" therapies. I had been a supplement taker for many years, but began to tailor what I was taking to my disease. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones who has the right cell environment surrounding my lymphoma cells, or perhaps what I am taking has actually made a difference. I go for blood tests every 4 months and nothing seems to have progressed.

'So that's my story. I believe in taking a real interest - and hence control - in my condition. On the other hand I do not believe in letting my lymphoma become an obsession or rule my life. I can happily say that sometimes I don't think about it for days or even weeks on end - when I was first diagnosed, I couldn't ever imagine being in that place of comfort.

'I realise that there will probably come a time when I will need therapy and I will welcome that when it's required. Whichever way I look at it, I know I am lucky. I hope that my story will bring comfort and inspiration to others, particularly those who are newly diagnosed, because I know what a frightening and uncertain time it can be. Take control, find your inner spirit, and best wishes to you all.'