KEY POINTS:
At 19, Phil Kerslake was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and told he had 10 years to live at the most.
He beat that and five more bouts of cancer. Now, at 48, he's become a father for the first time.
Mr Kerslake's story is one of survival and hope - messages he has shared with numerous cancer support groups and now with the Weekend Herald for Lymphoma Awareness Day today.
Pru Etcheverry, Leukaemia & Blood Foundation executive director, says there are more cases of lymphoma than cervical cancer in New Zealand, yet few have heard of it.
Provisional data from the Health Information Service show lymphoma cases have risen from 600 in 2000 to 777 in 2005 - a 30 per cent rise.
A new website by the foundation, knowyournodes.org.nz, hopes to raise awareness about the disease.
Mr Kerslake was 15 when he first discovered lumps under his arms, but it was misdiagnosed as part of a glandular fever bout he was suffering at the time.
It wasn't until he was 19 that terminal cancer was diagnosed.
Determined not to let it restrict his life, he set out on an OE through Europe. His positive spirit would prove crucial in his battle with the disease over the next three decades.
"It's been shown that managing the emotional side of cancer really can have physiological benefits and I've really found that - just looking forwards all the time, not looking backwards, not stopping and deciding that I'm at death's door."
He also had support from family, friends and the medical profession.
"I talk of cancer recovery as kind of a team effort. But in my earlier days I would've kept everyone out. I wouldn't have been interested in having anyone near me."
His most recent diagnosis in 2003 brought a sea change. He traded in his job as a manager at a property services company for a role coaching corporations on effective leadership and work-life balance.
It also brought Rhys, now 10 weeks old, into his and wife Gillian's life.
"I guess like all things in life, there's a time when you feel the time is right.
"We're just loving all his firsts. He's had his first long laugh, and first holding a toy for a length of time - all those things. He's an incredible joy."
They are planning a second child, using the same anonymous donor for Rhys - chemotherapy in his 20s left Mr Kerslake infertile.
His book Life, Happiness ... & Cancer, published last year, is heading into its second printing. He won an international Rebuilding Lives Award in June, providing him with a grant to embark on his second book.
Those fighting cancer need to be "an active patient", he says.
"It's still out there - this belief that you get a cancer diagnosis and it's terminal, that you will always die.
"And of course some people do die, but large numbers of people don't. So there's always hope for recovery.
"You just never give up, never say die."
Long battle
* 1975 - at 15 discovered lumps under arms; misdiagnosed as part of a glandular fever bout.
* 1979 - at 19 diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, told he had 10 years to live.
* 1987 - at 28 diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cancer had spread virtually everywhere.
* 1988 - at 29 new diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
* 1989 - at 30 relapse of non-Hodgkin's while on chemo. Cancer considered in remission.
* 1993-94 - at 34 relapse in left neck area; radiotherapy of neck and head.
* 2003-04 - at 44 diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's. Six months of chemotherapy.
* 2004 - at 45 Hodgkin's resolved but new non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed in spleen and blood. Removal of spleen, two courses of chemotherapy, then high dose chemo followed by stem cell transplant.
* 2005 - Cancer considered in remission.
What is lymphoma?
Lymphoma is the cancer of the lymphatic system, which plays an important part in the body's immune system. It is the sixth most common cancer in New Zealand, with about 750 people expected to be diagnosed with it this year.
The Leukaemia and Blood Foundation is the main source of information and support for patients and families living with lymphoma. It can be contacted on 0800 15 10 15 or visit www.leukaemia.org.nz
