Jersey cancer survivor prepares Christmas hampers for young patients

A woman from Jersey who was recovering from cancer treatment last Christmas, is this year delivering hampers to young cancer patients and survivors.

Antonia Rubio, 25, says she hopes it will brighten their day during a difficult period.

She said: "Now I'm almost a year in the clear and been raising lots of awareness and meeting lots of people.

"I've been hearing about a lot of young people impacted in Jersey, and I wanted them to learn from what I've been through and give back to them."

The gifts include an overnight stay, earplugs and books : "I tried to think about what I would have wanted when I was going through treatment.

Antonia fell ill with a range of symptoms while at university in 2020, before it was diagnosed as thyroid cancer in 2023.

She explained: "I found Christmas time really difficult and struggled to enjoy it with my family, as we were all in limbo waiting to find out if the treatment had worked.

She added: "I had a really generous act of kindness at Christmas last year, so I always said to myself, next year I'm going to give back to other people".

During the time since her diagnosis, Antonia has built an online following by documenting her experience - including sharing her story on national television.

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