There are certain experiences that most people hope they will never encounter, and being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 25 is certainly one of them.

My life changed dramatically with just one appointment in a dismal and dreary room. It felt as though everything I had ever yearned for and hoped for was suddenly snatched away from me. Control of my life slipped out of my hands, and my days were consumed with the complexities of cancer: doctors, hospitals, waiting rooms, difficult decisions, daunting survival statistics, and frightening treatments.

I accumulated heaps of information on surgical procedures, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, long-term medication, how to pick a wig, how to prevent nail loss, and which symptoms to continuously monitor.

The sense of overwhelm was unbearable. I felt like I’d tumbled into an alternate universe where nothing was real, and my existence was an everlasting nightmare from which I could not awaken.

One might assume that the best course of action during such a time is to focus exclusively on survival and take it easy, but not me. Maybe it was my recklessness or a battle within mentality, but I made a decision that I had been contemplating for years but had always talked myself out of- I applied for a master’s degree in marketing communications.

I had convinced myself that I lacked sufficient time and money to pursue my education, and at the age of 24, I’d even declared that I was too old for university.

It’s interesting how the threat of mortal danger can make you comprehend the absolute futility of self-imposed barriers.

One hour after my first Zoladex injection, fondly referred to as "the horse shot," I attended an open evening at Birkbeck, University of London, and commenced my path as a student, balancing full-time work with weekly hospital visits.

It wasn’t as simple as I’d like to believe. I would love to claim that I breezed through my first term with after-work lectures and painful bones from treatment, but that would be a lie. I had a hard time fighting the temptation to quit.

Despite the difficulties and time constraints of juggling my studies with work and managing my various health problems during my first year, the amount of joy and motivation I gained from attending university is impossible to express in words.

By seizing control of a single aspect of my life, I felt like I was progressing and accomplishing something significant. The knowledge and connections I acquired from my colleagues and instructors on the course were invaluable, and the support I received from the disability office on days when I felt defeated kept me moving forward.

Studying gave me the inner strength and fortitude to tackle the most terrifying moments of my life. When you’re occupied with studying for exams and planning group projects, you have little time to reflect on how much your bones hurt.

Everyone experiences their own set of battles- personal commitments, financial difficulties, disabilities, or even simply being too busy. But, try to break away from the trappings that keep you from pursuing what you’ve been delaying – it’s never as scary as you envisioned. After everything, I completed my dissertation, making the fight worthwhile.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you require information regarding breast cancer, please visit the Breast Cancer Care website or call their free, confidential helpline at 0808 800 6000.