A 21-year-old woman who was diagnosed with cancer after tiny ‘dots’ appeared on her skin has said she is “extremely grateful” for the horrific experience.

While Helaina Hillyard has gone through a huge amount of turmoil, physical pain and nearly a year of gruelling chemotherapy, she says cancer has given her a whole new outlook on life.

The athletic student was diagnosed after noticing freckle-like spots appearing on her body back in November 2021.

Within a few hours, they grew in size and were scattered across her arms and legs. Doctors took blood tests and the worrying results led to an eventual diagnosis of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia – blood cancer.

Helaina had felt completely healthy and was floored by the revelation – but 16 months on she insists the experience has been “rewarding”.

“I am extremely grateful for my cancer – I now appreciate things to a whole different level because not everyone survives this terrible disease,” the student, from Iowa, US, told NeedToKnow.online.

“It sounds crazy but having cancer has made me realize how blessed I am and how much love I have in my life.

“I still have a long way to go before I am back to where I was before, fitness wise, and I’ve come to the fact I may never get back to the level of where I was before – but if I have the ability to do so, I will.

“I am still taking chemo daily and monthly at the hospital, so I am still having multiple side effects from that but I see progress daily in my fitness journey – maybe because I had so much room for growth from what having leukaemia did to my body initially.

“It has been very rewarding.”

Helaina is currently in the ‘maintenance’ phase of treatment – the final stage, where she will continue with oral chemotherapy and monthly hospital visits until March 2024.

She said: “I have been extremely blessed with my treatment. I have had very minimal complications. My doctors and nurses have done an amazing job at managing any side effects.

“There have been some tough days through the past year and a half. It was hard when I lost my hair but I’m happy to say that it is now growing back.

“The toughest part was probably seeing my family and friends worry about me. Seeing the ones you love worry about you I would say was harder than fighting for my life.”

Helaina had to take a year off from her biochemistry degree while receiving treatment, but has been back since September, and is easing herself back into athletics.

Now, she is firmly focused on the future and working on her goal of becoming a dentist.

She added: “Little did I know that those innocent little spots would just be the start to a year worth of trial and fighting for my life.

“It is crazy to look back at all of the chain of events and how I could have easily died.

“But I realise that going through cancer has allowed me to have a different perspective on life, which is a blessing.”

ENDS

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