A BRAVE single mom who felt exhausted from running after her two children during lockdown was devastated when she learned that her 12cm tumour had been discovered.
Tianna Campbell, 24, thought her tiredness was caused her caring for her young boys, Riley and Logan.
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On April 1, she was diagnosed with rare lymphoma, which is a cancer of her lymph system.
After struggling to breathe while running after her children, she decided to see her GP.
Tianna, a Edinburgh resident, was shocked to learn that she had a tumor behind her breastbone from medics.
She received chemotherapy immediately, and was then treated with 15 rounds of radiotherapy.
“As I’m a single mum and my dad lives in Spain and my sister works a lot, I had to find ways to cope alone and keep my children entertained, while trying to look after and shield myself from the pandemic,” she told Edinburgh Live.
“I would often drive over to my grandma’s house where there was a path to a beach from her back garden and I would sit and watch my sons play with their grandparents, whilst giving me time to close my eyes and rest.
“On some days I just wanted to sleep all day and not have to worry about anyone else, but motherhood doesn’t allow for that to happen.
“I had to keep going for the sake of my children.”
Tianna was a Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at Western General Hospital. This meant that she spent time with other people her age.
She said that while it helped her with loneliness, it also made her feel isolated as she took care of her children during the grinding lockdowns in Scotland.
“My sons have helped me through cancer. They are my purpose in this life, even though they are still very young,” she stated.
“If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t have fought cancer as hard as I did.
“It will always be at the back of my mind that I could relapse, or the cancer could come back in years to come but I tell myself to live each day as it comes and make many memories with my children, friends and family.”
Tianna did a skydive recently for Teenage Cancer Trust, and her boys cheered her on.
“It was also a great opportunity to give back to the charity that helped me so much through everything I went through,”She spoke.
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