'I froze my eggs before I got chemotherapy'
West Belfast woman Maria Austin, 25, who is a classroom assistant, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in January.
She feels lucky to have been given time to freeze her eggs before starting chemotherapy in her fight against cancer.
"The egg freezing was crucial and so important because I am still young, I want to have a family when I am older," she said.
Maria said she is telling her story to highlight the importance of early cancer diagnosis and to help other young people cope with symptoms she describes as "life changing".