Stafford cancer survivor, 18, says sailing adventure helped her take back control

A young cancer survivor from Stafford has told how a sailing adventure helped her regain her confidence and feel in control of her life again.

Mia Royle was just 16 when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and subsequently underwent two operations, including surgery to remove her entire thyroid.

Now 18, Mia has spoken about her experience after spending a week sailing off the west coast of Scotland with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, a charity supporting young people living through and beyond cancer.

Her trip came after a difficult period of treatment which included radioactive iodine therapy in April last year.

Mia said: "I had surgery, then a second surgery two months later to remove the whole of my thyroid.

"In April 2025, I was treated with radioactive iodine, which was a very lonely treatment because it meant spending a month in complete isolation with my cat crying outside my room every night.

"I just found it very hard. I'm not the most social person, but I need to be around people, I think that's crucial.

"It was important for me to meet other young people who have had cancer because, with my diagnosis and where I'm from, there wasn't really anyone else. Until this trip, I hadn't met anyone else my age with cancer."

This summer, Mia travelled to Largs in Scotland to take part in one of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust's sailing adventures.

The charity, founded by record-breaking yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2003, organises sailing and outdoor activities for people aged eight to 24 who have experienced cancer.

For Mia, one of the biggest differences the trip made was giving her back a sense of control after years in which medical treatment had dictated much of her life.

She said: "I got control, which is the biggest thing. I'd had no control over my life since I found a tumour.

"I just had to listen to doctors and do whatever they tell me and trust them. So control for me is one of the most important things I can have in my life.

"I discovered a lot of confidence I didn't know I had. My whole journey has been about trying to gain confidence and going sailing with the charity has done something that two years hasn't.

"Just being on a boat for a week has given me so much confidence in myself, not just sailing the boat, but being around others with similar experiences too.

"It was the first time I'd had conversations where I can actually relate to people and understand what they're talking about, and they understood what I was talking about. It was absolutely wonderful."

Mia has shared her story during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place throughout September.

Around 12 people under the age of 25 are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK, amounting to more than 4,000 each year.

The Children & Young People's Cancer Association says two in three survivors experience a long-term side effect related to their cancer or treatment.

Sophie McGoldrick, a clinical nurse specialist who has volunteered on the Trust's sailing adventures since 2024, said meeting other young cancer survivors could provide an important source of support.

She said: "One of the biggest themes we see with children and young people is health anxiety and a lot of trauma after treatment.

"One of the things that has really been lacking is the opportunity for them to have a conversation with other people that understand.

"Coming away on the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust trip gives them an opportunity to talk about how they feel without having to consider anybody else's feelings, because these young people understand because they've all been through it."

The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust operates from bases in Cowes on the Isle of Wight and Largs in Scotland and supports young people during and after cancer treatment.