A Football Fern who beat cancer is getting fighting fit ahead of the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup tomorrow night.
Rebekah Stott – also known as Stotty – was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in early 2021. After undergoing treatment, she was in complete remission five months later.
Stott returned to the field last year when she got the call-up to the Football Ferns for the SheBelieves Cup in the US.
Now, less than two years after going into remission, the 30-year-old will be donning the number 13 jersey when New Zealand takes on Norway in the opening match of the competition.
Stott told Seven Sharp she first realised "something was wrong" after discovering a lump "for, I would say, six months, if not longer".
While receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a terrifying prospect for many, Stott said she was "actually quite relieved" when she got the news.
"I was like, ‘Yes, we’ve got this, now I can get onto it and get better'," she said.
"I’ve always had quite a positive outlook on life, and I really tried to focus on the little positives along the journey and not the negatives.
"I think I’m a lucky one. I had a very curable and treatable form of cancer."
After spending a lot of time in hospital and a lot of time on her hands, Stott realised the importance of the right information and comfortable gear during what can be a tumultuous time.
"I was like, 'I’m going through something so crap, so I deserve to be comfortable' so I created these bags and did a blog and stuff."
From there, Stott founded beat it. by Stotty, which provides bags filled with items to make a patient's stay more comfortable.
The packs include everything from a colouring book, toothbrushes, a wheat bag and a bar of soap.
Stott also runs a blog to share her story, as well as the inspiring stories of other cancer survivors.
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