The 27-year-old first began noticing issues around October of last year, although they started out quite innocuous.

“I got an itch on my arm and it progressively got worse and worse. I would generally be quite well and the last time I had to have an antibiotic was back in 2011, so I’m never sick and I know my own body, but I was initially reluctant to go to my GP because of Covid,” recalls Éamonn.

“At first I thought it was stress-related. After Christmas I ended up going to see a doctor and my GP was fantastic, he was like a dog with a bone because I’d had a few diagnoses bandied about already but he was really persistent in ordering bloods and x-rays until we had an idea of what was wrong. Then in February of this year a mass was found in my chest which indicated Hodgkins Lymphoma.”

Éamonn’s diagnosis was soon confirmed, and he began a course of chemotherapy but this treatment failed to bring about an improvement at first: “That was a big shock.

He went for three further cycles of a different chemotherapy drug followed by a stem cell transplant in July, which was thankfully more successful.

Éamonn recently received some more promising scan results 100 days on from his transplant, and all going well he is hopeful of returning to work in the coming months.

Drawing from his own experience, Éamonn has a central message he is keen to share with others who may be struggling with their health:

“There can be a real fear of going to the doctors and seeking help when you need it, but your GP is fantastic and I first realised their importance first-hand this year.

“Don’t ignore the signs and symptoms from your body – you know your own body better than anyone else.”