A brave young Morecambe woman who has battled blood cancer for two years will take part in a gruelling physical challenge just two weeks before having a life-saving transplant.
Molly Parkinson will take part in a 99-mile rowing challenge at the CrossFit gym in Heysham to raise money for the hospital where she has been treated.
Molly, 21, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a blood cancer that starts in the lymphatic system, aged just 19.
The former Morecambe High School pupil has undergone three regimes of chemotherapy and a previous stem cell transplant.
Now she hopes a transplant of cells from a donor will give her the best chance of a long-term recovery.
Molly was diagnosed after going to the doctor with lumps in her neck and chest pains in 2020.
Listen to Molly Parkinson talking about her brave battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma:
"I kept going to the GP who kept sending me away saying I'd just pulled a muscle in my chest, or the lumps were just cysts and I didn't have anything to worry about," she said.
"But I was really conscious of it so I kept going back, and they finally did an X-ray and a CT scan.
"They found tumours in my chest. So then I was referred to Christie's (cancer hospital in Manchester) who were amazing. They made me feel so at ease.
"Since then I've relapsed twice. The first time I relapsed I was given a stem cell transplant.
"I was in hospital for four weeks. I wasn't allowed out of my room. It was hard on my own.
"I'm going to have to do that again, this time with a donor transplant. Hopefully I will build another immune system with somebody else's cells.
"I'll be in hospital for about 4-6 weeks. But I've done it before, I know I can do it again.
"I'll have chemotherapy for five days and then I have someone else's cells given to me on Day 6, then it's a recovery process after that."
Lymphomas are the most common group of cancers in teenagers and young adults.
Around 1 in 5 young people diagnosed with cancer have lymphoma.
Molly, who works as a project manager at British Aerospace, has chosen a rowing challenge because she feels that keeping fit has helped her during her treatment.
"I've been going to crossfit for quite a while, and quite a few of my friends go as well.
"I've found it really important to keep myself fit and keep going to the gym. When you get a diagnosis, it's very easy to give up and just sit in bed. I think it's really important to help yourself out, get my fitness up as high as I can, to stand the best chance to come out as healthy as I can.
"I've exercised all the way through, and I've surprised myself considering all the radiotherapy and chemotherapy I've had.
"My family is amazing, the same with my friends, I've got so much support around me. But if I didn't have that, I think I'd have struggled a lot more."
Molly will be rowing the circumference of the Isle of Man (99 miles/159.325km) on Saturday, March 12, along with another 15 people.
All donations for Molly's challenge will be going towards the The Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) service at the Christie.
The service provides specialist care for teenagers and young adults (16-24 years of age) with a cancer diagnosis and related illnesses.
To donate to Molly's Rowing Challenge, see her fundraising page here.
It starts at 10.30am at CrossFit Heysham, on the Major Industrial Estate, Middleton Road, Heysham, this Saturday.
All are welcome to go along to support Molly and the team.
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