Rebekah Stott: 'I've got my life back' - defender reflects one year on from cancer diagnosis

In February 2021, Brighton defender Rebekah Stott had 24 hours to say goodbye to her team-mates, pack up her life on England's south coast and jump on a plane to the other side of the world.

New Zealand international Stott, 28, had just been told it was likely she had cancer and she was desperate to return to Australia, where she had been living before moving to the UK.

The country was limiting international arrivals because of Covid but a resourceful travel agent secured her a seat on a last-minute flight.

A week into quarantine in Sydney, she received the final results of the medical tests from the UK. She had Hodgkin lymphoma — a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body — and was facing months of gruelling chemotherapy.

Now, a year on from her diagnosis, Stott is in remission and has returned to the pitch as a player for Melbourne City and, with her sights firmly set on a home World Cup in 2023..

After being recalled to the New Zealand squad last week, she told BBC Sport how excited she was to be back playing the sport she loves.

«It feels like I've got my old life back and nothing has really changed,» she said.

Stott first noticed something was wrong when she found a lump on her neck in June 2020 — three months before leaving Melbourne City for Brighton in the Women's Super League. She went to her doctor, and had a biopsy, which came back inconclusive.

After being told to keep an eye on it and «not thinking too much of it», she continued with her move to England, going on to make 10 appearances for Brighton.

«I started playing for Brighton but then the lump started to grow and got pretty big, so I thought 'there's something wrong here — I really need to get