‘Support from family and friends helped me through cancer fight’

Being best man and giving a speech is always a bit daunting. Will the guests laugh at your jokes and embarrassing stories? Will the bride and groom still be speaking to you afterwards?

But Josh Lavers faced an extra challenge when he stood up to toast his best friend Rowan and bride Stacey last year: “chemo brain”.

The 28-year-old had just completed his second round of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in April 2023.

“I gave it a good shot, but honestly I can’t remember what I said and I blame that on the chemo brain,” he said.

“I do remember all the dancing though…”

For Josh, the support of his family and friends played a huge role in his cancer battle.

Prior to his diagnosis, he had been working as a tree surgeon and put his constant tiredness down to that. But even once he’d landed a new job at Ballindalloch Distillery he was still struggling and decided to go to the doctor.

“I went to get blood tests at the local GP and they came back showing my red and white blood counts were really, really low,” Josh said. “They pretty much immediately referred me to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for a bone marrow sample.”

Josh, from Glenlivet, had also developed lumps on his neck and groin, and biopsies were taken while he was in Aberdeen.

“After that the scans started pretty thick and fast,” he said.

Doctors broke the news he had stage four nonHodgkin lymphoma but assured him it was treatable.

Josh was grateful to have his girlfriend Emily by his side for the diagnosis.

“The Friends of ANCHOR volunteers put me at ease every time I arrived, and the daily newspaper delivery while staying as an inpatient was a connection to the outside world.

“Brave is about coming to terms with my cancer, talking about it, accepting it and hopefully moving on from it,” he said.

To support Josh’s fundraising, visit justgiving.com/page/josh-lavers-1709403147676