Hurdle training
PhD life can throw up a seemingly never-ending series of challenges
The UK lockdown happened while I was editing my final thesis chapter, meaning I’d have to do a virtual viva and miss celebrating with my colleagues in the office afterwards. This wasn’t quite the carpet-pulling moment you might think it would be for a late-stage doctoral student – it was just another small hurdle in the saga of getting my PhD. I can certainly say it’s taught me to be resilient.
My first hiccup actually happened just before the start of my degree. I’d had a suspicious lump on my thyroid for about a year. After having it surgically removed, it turned out I had follicular thyroid cancer – a somewhat ironic diagnosis given I was just about to start an oncology-focused research project.
After delaying my degree start date, another operation and a smidge of radioiodine therapy, my newly healed neck scar and I set off from Perth for Brighton to start at the University of Sussex. My project got underway, and I settled into my post-cancer life on the south coast. I hoped the fresh start would make up for the time I lost in hospital.
And then a few months into my degree, my supervisor announced they were moving institution.