My story on the highs and lows of surviving cancer

STANDING on stage at the Royal Albert Hall while holding hands with one of her musical idols in front of 5,000 people was an experience that will remain with Charlotte Newman forever.

And she is only too aware of how close she came to never being able to walk out with Noel Gallagher at the iconic London venue for a series of gigs to raise money for the charity that saved her life.

Just a little over two years ago, Charlotte was told that she had cancer. A simple word that has so many connotations, and one which she admits left her fearing the very worst.

She had been suffering from increasingly painful stomach aches while studying for a law degree at the University of Leeds, and doctors had initially been unable to discover what was wrong with her. And while Charlotte joked with her friends that it might be cancer, she never truly believed that she would be diagnosed with a rare form of the disease called Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Charlotte, 23, a former Allerton High School pupil who is from Alwoodley in Leeds, said: “I like to think of myself as quite rational, and I can articulate myself quite well. But when I was told I had cancer, I could not listen to what the doctor was saying, I just didn’t know what to say.

“The thoughts that went through my head were that my time was up, and who had I got to say goodbye to. I don’t believe anyone who says that they don’t think they are going to die when they are diagnosed. That is the reality of cancer. People do survive, but there are a lot of people who don’t.”

Charlotte was in her second year of her law degree when she was diagnosed and was forced to put her studies on hold while she undertook a gruelling course of treatment. She was cared for on Ward 94 of the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds and admits that up until the moment the needle was put in to administer her first course of chemotherapy, it had only been cancer in theory.

But the drip attached to her, which she had to wheel around, was such an overt reminder of what she was dealing with, that there was no escaping the reality of the situation.

Charlotte said: “I know I was in pain but I still felt normal, I still felt like me, but being attached to the drip was like a smack in the face. I was literally dragging round a flashing sign that told me I had cancer. It suddenly became painfully real.”

Eight cycles of chemotherapy followed before scans revealed the cancer had spread to Charlotte’s lymph nodes. She then had surgery to remove the tumour lying in soft tissue between her bowel, bladder and womb, followed by a stem cell transplant, a further high dose of chemotherapy and then six weeks of radiotherapy.

She underwent a year-long spell of treatment, and knows that she would not be alive if it was not for the expertise of the Teenage Cancer Trust – and the support of her family, boyfriend James Newman and close friends.

Her father, Dominic, and sister, Emma, 21, are due to run the London Marathon this month, and Charlotte wrote a short story of her treatment on their Just Giving fundraising pages on the internet which led to an approach by the Teenage Cancer Trust to do something special to highlight the charity’s work.

Charlotte was given the chance to share her battle against the disease with thousands of people who attended a series of gigs at the Royal Albert Hall at the end of March which featured an eclectic mix of artists from Primal Scream and Kasabian to Rizzle Kicks and Labrinth.

This year’s concerts were curated by Noel Gallagher, who made a piece of musical history when he appeared on stage with Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon from Blur, along with Paul Weller. It was the first time that the former Oasis songwriter had performed with the two members of Blur, which officially brought to an end the arch-rivalry from the days of Britpop in the mid-1990s.

Charlotte said: “I was so overwhelmed by the opportunity that the Teenage Cancer Trust had given me. I am still humbled, but it gave me the chance to give something back. I am a huge fan of Oasis, and it was an absolute honour to be there. While all the gigs were amazing, the Saturday (when Noel Gallagher played) was just a little more special.

“When Noel dedicated Don’t Look Back In Anger to me, it really did seem very poignant. That may be over-analysing things, but it was an emotional moment.”

Charlotte was asked to record a film which was screened each night to outline the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust and her own ordeal. One of the most touching moments was when she described how her sister came into her bedroom shortly after she was diagnosed, and the two of them simply sat on the bed while holding each other and crying and not saying a word.

The gigs were also a timely reminder of a landmark for Charlotte, as last month saw the year-long anniversary since she was given the all-clear. She has to go back every three months for check-ups, but she has been able to return to university and is studying for her finals in May.

She said: “It is the final hurdle, cancer stopped me doing this. I have been passionate about law since I was a child, and finishing my degree is the last obstacle and hopefully I will get some closure.”

But despite her battle back to health after her diagnosis in January 2011, Charlotte admits the spectre of cancer still looms large over her every day.

She said: “It is often bittersweet when I find out I have been given the all-clear again. On one hand I am so happy everything is OK, but at the same time I am scared to feel happy.

“A lot of friends have passed away and a very dear friend is coming to the end of his life. I do feel guilty, as we all went through the treatment, but only some of us are still here.

“It is very hard to come through this, as you are branded a cancer patient by the way that you look. We all lost our hair during treatment, and you do lose you sense of self. But that is not to say you aren’t the same person, and that you don’t like normal things – I loved a good gossip and a laugh while I was having treatment, just like everybody else.

“It is such a horrible disease, but I try to remain positive and take the good things from what happened. I have made some wonderful friends, and I am back at uni where I am 10 times more focused. In many ways, it has enriched my life as I am aware of so much more and so thankful to be alive.”

HELP FOR TEENAGE CANCER PATIENTS

THE Teenage Cancer Trust is the only charity in the UK which is dedicated to giving life-saving treatment and helping young people between the ages of 13 and 24 to deal with cancer.

The charity funds and builds specialist units within NHS hospitals which bring young people together so they can be treated by teenage cancer experts in the best environment possible. There are now 25 Teenage Cancer Trust units nationally including five in Yorkshire – two in Leeds, another two in Sheffield and one in Hull.

The Teenage Cancer Trust relies solely on donations to fund its work. More information is available at www.teenagecancertrust.org or text TOGETHER to 70500 to donate £3.