A young Scottish student graduated during the middle of lockdown and was looking forward to the next chapter in his life, when he got life-changing news. Gonzalo Gill was devastated to discover he had stage-four blood cancer after medics found his lymph nodes were flamed.
The Edinburgh man said he could see the concern on the doctor's face before he got the devastating diagnosis, leaving him filled with anxiety, reports Edinburgh Live. Gonzalo had been to see his GP twice and then to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist for a biopsy.
This revealed that Gonzalo had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and needed to start treatment immediately. Having just graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in physics, Gonzalo also had the huge stress of a two-week wait between finding out he had cancer and waiting to see an oncologist to find out his prognosis.
Although it was aggressive cancer, he was relieved to then hear it was highly treatable, so his chances of remission were good. In the space of just six months, Gonzalo underwent 12 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy, with two-week breaks in between to allow his immune system to process the harsh treatment.
Last month, Gonzalo received the brilliant news he was in remission just a week before his graduation ceremony. The event had been postponed for two years because of the Covid pandemic, which made the milestone particularly special.
Gonzalo will now receive check-ups every three months for the next two years to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back. He is also taking on a 100km trek across northern Spain to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, and will reflect on the life-changing experience.
He said: "I graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Physics but because of lockdown I just had my graduation ceremony last month. I grew up in Mexico and Costa Rica and moved to study in Edinburgh six years ago.
"Around May last year I noticed the lymph nodes on my neck were swollen and they wouldn’t settle so I left it a bit and went to my GP and they also said to wait a while. Three weeks later they were the same so I went back.
"They found another lump on my neck, I could see the doctor's face was concerned which made me anxious and was the first time I thought it could be something more serious. Three months later I went to a specialist clinic to have a biopsy after ruling out everything else.
"When he said I had Hodgkin's lymphoma I didn't even know what is was and the specialist explained it was a cancer of the blood. I just heard ringing in my ears at that moment and went completely numb. I had gone alone because I didn't expect that at all."
Gonzalo then faced a two-week wait to see an oncologist to find out what his actual prognosis was, which filled him with anxiety and stress. His family had by this time come over from Mexico to support him, along with a couple of his friends.
He explained: "I was living with a friend at the time and at this point my family came over and I had a couple of my friends by my side. I went to the oncologist with my dad and one of my friends.
"He told me it was stage four and it was advanced so I would have to start treatment straight away. He explained it's a very aggresive cancer, but chemotherapy works effectively.
"When we got told it's treatable it was a huge sign of relief and then I knew I had a difficult time ahead with treatment. I had six months of chemo every two weeks, the highest risk with it is your immune system not being able to cope."
He continued: "When I was admitted to the Teenage Cancer Trust Ward at the Western General I was expecting it to be cold and clinical with white walls and an unsettling environment but it was so welcoming. It is run by the Teenage Cancer Trust and it was so welcoming, it made you feel like you weren't alone. It's totally invaluable especially when you are such a young person going through something like this."
Gonzalo will now embark on a 60-mile walk taking on the second half of the Camino in the north of Spain, he will take on the pilgrimage on his own which many people do after a life-changing experience.
He said: "I have to go on my own - it is all about reflection. I'm leaving at the start of September and it should take me 12 days. Now I'm in remission, I want to give back to this fantastic organisation through this fundraiser, while commemorating finishing treatment and beginning the process of recovery and re-strengthening by completing the final 100 km of the Camino de Santiag.
"It's a 500-mile pilgrimage through France and Spain finishing in Santiago de Compostela, typically undertaken by people in search of healing, time for reflection, solace, or spiritual guidance."
You can find out more and donate to the fundraiser which is supporting Teenage Cancer Trust here.
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