A 17-year-old from Huyton has vowed to battle her disease with a positive attitude after red itchy skin turned out to be a sign of a rare type of cancer. Amie Riozzi was devastated when she was told that the rashes on her skin were a sign of Hodgkin lymphoma which she was diagnosed with in June. She also found lumps on her neck.
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The Hugh Baird College student decided not to let the diagnosis get the better of her, and decided to give back as much as she could while she was still here. She’s about to begin the six-month process of chemotherapy to remove the tumours in her chest and neck.
Rather than holding on to her hair for as long as she can, Amie has decided to shave and donate it to the Little Princess Trust for other young children like her who lose their hair.
She realized how financially unfortunate some of the families were when she was at the hospital and that’s what sparked her motive to donate her hair. As well as her hair, she’s going to be donating her tumour, bone marrow, and her blood to be researched and to hopefully help other people going through the same illness.
Inspired by the generous staff who have been treating her, Amie now wants to become a nurse herself and in the future, she wants to work with children who have cancer. Around 1,900 people a year are diagnosed with this illness and it’s usually in young adults. Common symptoms are painless swelling in the neck, armpit, or groin.
Although hearing the diagnosis was difficult and emotional for her at first, she’s been coping better with it lately. ‘I know I’m going to get better, and I’ve been able to with the support of family and friends,’ Amie said. ‘All of them have been coming to see me.’
Amie will be donating her hair on July 17th and although she’s sad to see it go, she wants to give it to someone else. Amie’s mom, Diane said that they are very proud of her and that her positivity is what’s keeping them going. ‘She hasn’t cried once, she’s an inspiration to us all,’ Diane said. ‘The way she has turned something so negative into a positive.’ You can donate to her JustGiving page where she’s raising money to spread awareness of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
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