Marina's story
In August 2022, Marina was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She had been experiencing a puffy, swollen face for 2 months and kept going to the GP about it. The GP ruled out tonsillitis, mumps, and a allergic reaction.
It was discovered that Marina had a superior vena cava obstruction (SVCO). This is when a tumour blocks or compresses the superior vena cava, which is the vein that takes blood back from the top half of the body into the heart.
Marina said: "By the time I was diagnosed I looked like the elephant man. I was so ill I could hardly stay awake."
Doctors discovered the cause of SVCO was primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. She received 6 rounds of chemotherapy. It involved a 5-day in patient stay. In between doses, she experienced infections and had to return to hospital.
Marina said: "The only difficult thing was that no children were allowed to visit. That was very hard for them to cope with, and hard for me too."
Marina finished her treatment just before Christmas. This was followed by 3 scans which showed a bit of activity, but doctors believed it to be scar tissue. In June 2023, she was told she was in remission.
A 10km walk is still quiet a challenge for a kid, but I knew it would also feel like a real achievement
Why she took part in the Big Day Out
During her treatment, Marina and her family received support from Macmillan at the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Marina said: "It was my daughter's idea to fundraise for Macmillan. I talked about wanting to raise money, to give something back, and she said: 'I'd like to do that with you, mum.'
"My daughter is 8 and my son is 5, so a marathon was out of the question! A 10K walk is still quite a challenge for a kid, but I knew it would also feel like a real achievement."
The family took part in the Big Day Out (now known as the Walk to Support) event in London last year.
Marina said: "It was a brilliant, fun day. The volunteers created a real party atmosphere in Battersea Park. The route was gorgeous and there were lots of other families there.
"There was something incredibly moving about looking around and knowing that all these people understood what we had been through. They had been there too."
Jay really understood how hard it was to be away from my kids for so long
How Marina and her family were supported by Macmillan
When Marina's husband visited her in hospital shortly after Marina received her diagnosis, he went to visit the Macmillan Centre at ULCH.
Marina said: "He cried on a volunteer's shoulder for about half an hour! They were incredible."
Marina and her husband also received support on talking to children about cancer. The information they received helped them to address their children's fears.
Marina said: "I had a lot of inpatient stays. There were about 10, and lasted between 3 days to 2 weeks. I was in a room on my own, which was nice but sometimes lonely.
"A wonder woman from Macmillan called Jay would knock on the door and come in for a chat. She really understood how hard it was to be away from my kids for so long.
"People don't always realise that there is a huge emotional toll with cancer as well as physical toll. At ULCH, it seemed like they really got it and I'm sure that has a lot to do with working so closely with Macmillan."
If you were inspired by Marina's story, find out how you can take part in our next Walk to Support event.