“I was very fortunate to have grown up on the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebrides. Growing up in such a rural area meant everyone knew each other and there was a great sense of community. Gaidhlig, also known as the Gaelic language of Scotland, was a very important part of my upbringing, my parents were both very keen to ensure I embraced the culture and the importance of carrying on the traditions passed on to them from their parents. My mother also worked for BBC Alba, so I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. I was very fortunate to have spent the majority of my life back home and learned traditions passed on for years - for example the cutting and lifting of our fuel peat and of course speaking Gaidhlig. 

The majority of my friends left the island life around the age of 18 to move to the mainland and study at university. I worked in hospitality since I was 16 and still hadn’t found anything I was passionate enough to study for or even move away for. I spent the majority of my twenties working as a restaurant manager in the arts centre in Stornoway and loved my job. 

Around the age of 26, I was noticing blood in my urine. Like similar stories I have read, kidney stones are always the main concern. I was sent for an ultrasound and found to have a 10cm tumour growing on my right kidney. In January 2019, I was admitted to Inverness hospital for a right nephrectomy and had my tumour and kidney removed. Around a month later, my biopsy results came back, and I was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. I was very fortunate not to require any chemo, and had a followup scan yearly to ensure no metastasis. 

It was while I was an inpatient in Raigmore and ran my brain dry of Netflix, I was watching how the nurses, doctors and health care assistants worked. I began thinking that maybe a career in nursing would be a fulfilling career and something I’d feel passionate about. 

In September 2019, I started my nursing journey through the University of Highlands and Islands back in Stornoway. Of course, COVID hit after 5 months into my training and sent the world into a spiral. However, I graduated three years later and decided to move to the mainland and begin my nursing career. They say life starts at 30, and I truly now believe it. The same year I turned 30, I graduated and did something I never thought I would ever do, which was move to the mainland.

I decided to follow a career path in renal and worked in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in the renal ward for 3 years. As part of our training, we are required to do a 3 months dialysis rotation. Having absolutely loved my 3 month rotation, I was very fortunate to secure a position in the Western General Dialysis Unit and absolutely love every day of my job. 

This year marks seven years being cancer free and I no longer require yearly scans. I was very fortunate and owe my life to the health care system we have, and now feel privileged I get to work within it.”