{"id":20815,"date":"2023-05-25T10:14:49","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T09:14:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/?p=20815"},"modified":"2023-05-25T13:56:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T12:56:16","slug":"national-cancer-survivors-day-there-is-power-in-our-shared-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/2023\/05\/national-cancer-survivors-day-there-is-power-in-our-shared-values\/","title":{"rendered":"National Cancer Survivors Day: \u2018There is power in our shared values\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kent Business School\u2019s Dr Joel Montgomery<\/a> and Brendan Hammond<\/a> work together within Kent Business School\u2019s Outreach Department.\u00a0<\/span><\/b> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Weeks into meeting, the duo realised they had both overcome cancer and survived \u2013 and thrived \u2013 against the odds.<\/span><\/b> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, Joel and Brendan share their stories, to mark National Cancer Survivors Day (Sunday 4 June 2023).<\/a><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u2018I try to help students see past the barriers that others have put on them\u2019<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr Joel Montgomery is Lecturer in Leadership at Kent Business School. He survived <\/span><\/b>Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) as a child.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I was 10 when I started experiencing excruciating back pain. Being misdiagnosed with everything from constipation to having neurotic parents, it took an MRI scan months later to show ALL Leukaemia.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This type of Leukaemia has a good prognosis \u2013 but I carried the AML gene. A one in 30 million chance, with only 30% of sufferers surviving. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Being transferred to The Royal Marsden for treatment, I was lucky to be assigned a doctor involved in research for ALL.\u00a0 After I had nine months of chemotherapy, her in depth study found it wasn\u2019t effective for my cancer type. She insisted I got a bone marrow transplant and full body radiotherapy. I survived. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As my internal organs were harmed with such a harsh treatment, I faced obstacles everywhere I turned \u2013 teachers, friends and even family stopped encouraging my dreams and told me to \u2018just do what I could\u2019. It came from a good place, they loved and cared for me and had my wellbeing at heart, but it was really hard to accept.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Joel being treated in hospital as a child<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve always been stubborn – despite missing years of school I got a place at Kent to study BA Politics, went on to do a Master\u2019s in Human Resource Management and took on a PhD, in political motivation of the workplace.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research could be a lonely place, but it was working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant that I found solace, particularly during lockdown where I was stuck in a tiny flat 24\/7.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, I finished my PhD and I\u2019ve since been offered a full time Lectureship at KBS, which I love. I work frequently with the Outreach Department, visiting schools and encouraging young people to further their education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was surprising to learn that Brendan had walked a similar path to me. There is power in our shared values and I can rely on him for advice.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I still face many challenges that stem from my treatment \u2013 fatigue, a lack of immunity and the general fear of relapse, but Brendan is one of the few people who really understands what this feels like.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back at my life, it is as if things have gone full circle. Because of my diagnosis, I try to help students see past their barriers that others put on them \u2013 whether this is gender, poverty, race or something like illness. I am living proof that they can still achieve their ambitions.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t sweat the small stuff \u2013 I can offer young people a sense of perspective\u2019<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Outreach Officer for KBS Brendan Hammond was diagnosed with a PXA brain tumour in 2017.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018My diagnosis began with pins and needles in my hands.\u00a0 Six months later the sensations were waking me at night. I had two young children and I put it down to being busy, stressed and run down.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But things escalated when I had an episode in a work meeting. I started to tremor, stopped speaking and colleagues were worried. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Awaiting a referral, I had a huge seizure in my sleep and was transferred to Kings College Hospital where I was diagnosed with a rare <\/span>pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma <\/span>tumour (PXA) in my brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re first diagnosed, all you can think is the <\/span>whys<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Could I have prevented this? Is it my fault? All of my specialists reassured me that it was unlikely to do with any choices I\u2019d made. From then on, I tried to be pragmatic and take things one day at a time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having major brain surgery in early 2018 wasn\u2019t easy, but I walked into the clinic as an air ambulance flew over and remember thinking that things really could have been worse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The surgery removed 80 to 90 per cent of the tumour. I will take anti-seizure medication for the rest of my life and every September I have a full scan and check-up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have two daughters and a loving wife, with them and work keeping me busy, it can be easy to forget what I\u2019ve been through, I feel well, most of the time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming cancer, my attitude has changed. I don\u2019t sweat the small stuff. This, I believe, means I can offer young people a sense of perspective, when problems in life can feel overwhelming.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meeting Joel, I\u2019ve been able to see that he also has this ability. We work well as a team making workshops fun, engaging and successful.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I admire Joel\u2019s resolve and attitude to life which is infectious and I feel privileged to have got to know him and his story.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Held on the first Sunday in June, National Cancer Survivors Day, is a celebration for all those who have been diagnosed with cancer and, following treatment, have been given the all clear.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Charlotte North<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kent Business School\u2019s Dr Joel Montgomery and Brendan Hammond work together within Kent Business School\u2019s Outreach Department.\u00a0 \u00a0 Weeks into meeting, the duo realised they … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74553,"featured_media":20820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[124],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20815"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20815"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20852,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20815\/revisions\/20852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kbs-news-events\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}