Finally being able to talk to other people her age about what she'd been through made Ammarah feel less like something strange had happened to her.
It was hard for Ammarah sitting in hospital watching her friends' Snapchat stories while was receiving chemotherapy. Diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in October 2017, she missed out on social events and sitting her GCSEs like her peers.
"I only saw my friends for a few weeks when I went back to school, but it wasn't the same because I was still ill. I didn't get to go outside and do lessons normally because I couldn't focus."
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There were some pre-trip nerves, but she realised everyone was in the same boat. She felt happier having the chance to open up to other people who understood what she had been through.
“It makes you feel less lonely, like it was more normal because everyone here has been through it or something similar. It’s less like I had something really strange and out of the ordinary happen to me. It’s more like a community.”
She felt comfortable talking to others about their shared histories.
“It’s definitely easier to speak to people here. It’s not as awkward to bring up the topic and bring up things with people who say ‘oh yeah, I went through that too’. It’s nice.”
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