Rebekah Stott: Brighton and New Zealand defender reveals extent of Hodgkin's lymphoma

Rebekah Stott was limited to just 10 appearances for Brighton this season before her diagnosis

Brighton & Hove Albion defender Rebekah Stott is determined to approach her treatment for stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma with "a positive attitude".

The New Zealand international will need to undergo four months of chemotherapy for the blood cancer.

The 27-year-old decided to return to Australia in February shortly before receiving confirmation of her diagnosis while still in Covid-19 quarantine.

She joined Brighton in September on a one-year deal from Melbourne City.

"I knew there was something not right. I had two big lumps on my neck that were growing," said Stott, who last played on 20 December.

"I went and got a biopsy and that's when it was first mentioned it could be lymphoma.

"I knew I had to get home as soon as possible in case it was really bad. With the NHS also struggling with Covid-19, there wasn't anything I could do to speed up the process.

"I was actually still in quarantine when I received the results I had been diagnosed.

"It had travelled below my diaphragm, which means it's at stage three. I will do a more intense chemotherapy, which is four months of a 21-day cycle.

"It will be pretty hard - there'll be a pretty high risk of losing my fertility, I'll lose my hair and I'll probably feel pretty crook (ill)."

But Stott is remaining determined to best prepare herself for what might be ahead and work hard to get even fitter before beginning chemotherapy.

"I think that will give me the best chance to come out of it even stronger," she said. "I really want to approach it with a positive attitude and try to encourage and inspire others to do the same."

Since speaking out about her diagnosis, Stott has received support from the sporting world in her native New Zealand - including from the All Blacks.

That support has also extended from back in the UK.

Her Brighton team-mates celebrated beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Women's Super League on Sunday by dedicating the victory to her and holding up her playing shirt on the pitch at full-time.

Both sets of players also wore warm-up shirts with her squad number and name on the back and the slogan "World's Greatest Shave" on the front.

Stott has decided to take part in the fundraising initiative of the same name next month for the Leukaemia Foundation and shave off all her hair as she begins her chemotherapy.

Donations to her personal fundraising page have flooded in during the past week.

Brighton manager Hope Powell praised Stott's spirit through her diagnosis.

"The way in which she has conducted herself has been exemplary and really, really positive," she told BBC South East Today. "It must have been incredibly upsetting.

"I think the club have been fantastic in their support for her and we want her to know that we're thinking or her and we want her back."