A teenager is set to start at a top university – after opening his exam results while undergoing chemotherapy.
Joram Haruna was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin Lymphoma in June 2023, just weeks before receiving his Higher exam results.
The Dalkeith teenager had developed a cough which didn’t go away – which, at first, was thought by doctors to be a virus.
After finishing his Higher exams, Joram was referred to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for a chest x-ray – and shortly after, asked to attend a CT scan.
Instead of celebrating the end of term with friends, 18-year-old Joram spent his time in an intensive care ward at the Western General Hospital, with tests revealing a mass pressing on blood vessels in his chest.
He opened his results whilst undergoing chemotherapy – and was overjoyed to discover he had earned the A grades necessary to secure him a place at the University of Edinburgh.
Joram said: “Just an hour after the scan a doctor came up to me to say I was being taken to the intensive care unit.
“I was like, what, wow? It was scary.
“The only symptom I’d had up until then was a cough but now it felt like I was being taken to the part of the hospital where the most unwell patients were.
“They explained that a mass was pressing on blood vessels in my chest.
“There was a risk it would press on an airway and block it so they had to give me blood thinner injections and monitor me closely.”
Tests later showed the cancer had reached Joram’s chest, spleen and lungs.
After moving to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, Joram, then 16, started chemotherapy.
He was in hospital for four weeks at first under the care of consultant paediatric oncologist Dr Angela Jesudason.
In total, Joram had five months of chemotherapy.
A banner was put up in the ward and family gathered on October 17 2023 when Joram had his final session.
Joram, who was found to be in remission in November, will begin his first year of a Chemical Engineering degree, after deferring for a year to allow himself time to recover.
“Research is advancing and it is a relief to get my life back on track,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to university. My first lecture is on September 19. But I’ll never forget how tough cancer was.
“At times I was almost in denial that this was even happening to me. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise the person looking back at me.
“Before I got ill I had long hair in braids and a beard. I lost all my hair and even my eyebrows after the first month of chemotherapy. That felt unsettling.
“I was ready to be more independent so it was hard to take steps backwards and have people do things for me.
“But I realised I did need that help, family and friends were there to give me support and that I should take their support.”
He was supported every step of the way through the disease by his mum Macrine, 52, dad Kwada, 53, sister Clara, 16, and brothers Abba, 19, and Jotham, 10.
Now as Joram prepares to start his first year studying Chemical Engineering, he is also starring in a poster appeal for Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People.
This summer, Arsenal fan Joram enjoyed a trip to London with his mum to watch football, a family holiday with his family in Turkey and a mini break to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.
A photo of Joram on Bute smiling as he poses with alpacas has also been made into a poster which will be displayed in Cancer Research UK shops to mark Childhood cancer awareness month.
His photograph will be on display in more than 500 of the charity’s shops. Gold ribbon pin badges, the symbol of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, are available from Cancer Research UK shops during September while stocks last.
“Now I’d love to use my voice to speak out on behalf of young people with cancer,” he explained.
“Knowing my story could make a difference and help others means so much. I hope people will show their support.”
Joram’s mum, Macrine said: “It is because of life-saving research that I have my child back, he’s well and about to start an exciting new chapter in his life.
“I would have taken cancer on myself in a heartbeat rather than have to watch my boy go through it.
“I was there for it all and it’s so difficult sitting in hospital watching your child receive chemotherapy.
“Gradually Joram would become weaker as the treatment wore on. I would go to the bathroom or the tea room to wipe away the tears.
“Joram is a strong boy but of course he’s broken down at times. That’s normal, he’s only human but Joram has been so positive through the most challenging of days.
“We’re proud that Joram stars in this important campaign that highlights how Cancer Research UK’s work is making more moments possible for families like ours. It’s special moments together which mean the world to us.”
Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, Lisa Adams, said: “We’re grateful to Joram and his family for supporting our mission to ensure more youngsters can live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.
“Cancer is different in children and young people from the types of cancer that affect this age group to the long term effects of treatment, such as hearing loss and infertility.
“It needs different and dedicated research that we’re grateful to people across Scotland for helping to fund.
“Thanks to our generous supporters, we are beating cancer. More than 9 in 10 children and young people with cancer who receive cancer drugs on the NHS receive a drug linked to our work.
“Our scientists are unlocking discoveries about these cancers and translating them into new and less toxic ways to treat them.
“We hope supporters will wear a gold ribbon with pride this September for the vital role they play in making this life-saving work possible.”
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