Going through surgery, getting it out; it wasn’t something that was particularly scary to me, because I had done something similar before. But I didn’t realise that this was so much more severe.

The funny thing is, I did not want to pursue a bachelor’s degree or anything past high school. I felt very strongly about this in late elementary and middle school. I wanted to complete my A-Levels, make a band, and go out into the world to perform.

One thing was clear in my family: it’s hard love, education, and work. I was an outlier, but my family recognised and supported me.