This is the first blog in a series of blogs written for us by Nell Hanbury – cancer survivor and registered nurse. ​

Hi, my name is Nell and I am a cancer survivor. I was enjoying an independent life, working full-time in Sydney as a registered nurse, when I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013. I was 25 years old. My adult life had barely begun.

          I was scared that I would die. At this point in time, I felt that I hadn’t really achieved much. I wanted to do so much more. I was worried about the people I would leave behind, particularly my parents. The death of our dear family friend, who was a similar age to me, was fresh in our minds.
Continuing to live in a share house was no longer an option so I had to move out. My generous grandmother offered her beach house to us; this is where Mum and I lived for the duration of my treatment. My folks live in a country town about five hours from Sydney. Mum literally dropped everything and put her life on hold to save mine. 

       For health reasons and practical reasons, I chose to stop working. From the beach house, work (where I was now a patient) was a 1.5 hour commute on a good day. Luckily, I was covered by leave entitlements for most of the time I had off.

Every three weeks, I went to hospital as an outpatient to get the CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone). A few hours later I would be vomiting vigorously, which on one occasion necessitated a mercy dash to the emergency department. My hair starting falling out a couple of weeks after the first cycle. Whilst I didn’t feel the loss keenly, it did make me feel somewhat vulnerable and took my self-esteem down a notch or two. Fatigue was a major issue as well. I probably slept for about 12 hours a day, including ‘power naps’. 
           
       One day during my cancer treatment, while I was lying in bed feeling sick and sorry for myself, it suddenly came to me that my purpose in life, my calling, was to be a cancer nurse. In 2015, I completed a post graduate certificate in cancer and haematology nursing. I now work as an oncology nurse, volunteer with the Leukaemia Foundation as a ‘Blood Buddy’, and am occasionally called upon to offer support to friends of friends which I love doing.

            After finishing treatment I lived at home with my parents for a few years in the Central West NSW where I grew up, to begin rebuilding my life. The loss of independence was definitely one of the most challenging impacts cancer has had and getting it back took longer than I expected. I finally moved out of home (again) in July 2017 after getting my dream job at a cancer centre in Sydney.

       One assessment I did for my post-graduate course was an essay about caring for a vulnerable population in the context of cancer; I chose to focus on adolescents and young adults. This assessment, along with my own experience with cancer, inspired me to create a guide filled with the information I have discovered and used along my cancer journey.

I want to share this guide with other people – both researchers, clinicians and young people going through the cancer experience. In my series of blogs, I will be posting a different topic each week!

       While you’re reading these posts, please bear in mind the suggestions I have made are only suggestions and based on my personal experience. My blogs do not imply any endorsement, non-endorsement, support or commercial gain by the Behavioural Sciences Unit or by the Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital. I, and some other young people I know have found them helpful, but you may not. I hope that you do find something here beneficial, and that reading my story has made you feel like you are not alone in this battle.
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As of 2017, I have been in remission for three years.
 
You can read more about my story here:
http://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/share-your-cancer-story/nell-hanbury.html
http://www.leukaemia.org.au/news/nell-hanbury-triumphs-and-gives-back-as-a-blood-buddy

​What is your current role?
I am currently working as a research officer at the Behavioural Science Unit. So far, I have been primarily involved in a project examining the psychosocial consequences of genetic testing and personalised medicine. In this project, I am working closely with Professor Claire Wakefield, Dr Janine Vetsch as well as other members of the Ethics and Genetics research team.

What are the ‘best’ parts of your current role?
While I have had a lot of exposure to quantitative research and worked on multiple large-scale longitudinal datasets, I have had limited exposure to qualitative research. My current role will allow me do things that I have not done before, such as conducting interviews with participants and analysing qualitative data. I am also keen to learn more about childhood cancer and the psychosocial issues childhood cancer survivors face.

Please describe your education and training.
I completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Hons I) at the University of Queensland (UQ). My Honours thesis investigated the effect of financial incentives on affective, motivational, and performance outcomes. After completing this degree, I worked closely with a team of organisational psychologists at the UQ Leadership and Change Management Centre. During this time, I worked on several research projects, including a project examining how features of open-plan offices (e.g., noise, privacy and temperature) influence job satisfaction and performance, and a project examining how employees deal with anger following unfair managerial treatment.
 
My second research role was at the UQ Centre of Research in Social Psychology. I had the opportunity to work with several social psychologists on a project that sought to examine the impact of media messages in influencing support for same-sex marriage. I then completed a Masters by Research in Psychology at UQ in 2016. In my Masters thesis, I was interested in the role of intergroup contact (i.e., interactions between members of different social groups) in promoting a peaceful and harmonious society. I was also interested in why prejudice persists in multicultural societies.   

What are the most challenging parts of your current role?
Conducting interviews with bereaved parents would have to be the most challenging but rewarding aspect of my current role. The Ethics and Genetics teamis providing me with extensive interview training so that I have the confidence to  perform this important task.
 
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
It has always been my dream to become an academic. As such, I would like to start a PhD at some point in the next five years.

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow a similar path in terms of their study/career?
Stay curious and be open to new experiences! I strongly believe that this enables you to grow as a researcher.​

​The Behavioural Sciences Unit is Proudly Supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation.
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