A British woman named Lily Venus, from Winchester, thought she had a simple muscle pain after working out too much, but in fact she had stage-four blood cancer. Lily Venus, now 26, was 24 years old when she started complaining of intense neck pain. Since she was a sports coach, she simply thought she had made a wrong move and pulled a muscle in her neck. In short, she wasn't worried about her pain.
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Her story is proof that you should always talk with a doctor when you feel something is wrong. Because although it may be nothing, sometimes you're in for a chilling diagnosis. This is what happened to Lily Venus, when she finally decided to see her doctor.
The pain was a symptom of stage-four blood cancer
Lily Venus eventually decided to visit her GP after noticing a lump on her collarbone. The tests and analyses then began and the verdict fell two weeks later: Lily was in fact suffering from stage-four Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the blood at an advanced level.
The young woman had tumors in her neck, chest and lungs. Lily began treatment immediately. She underwent twelve sessions of chemotherapy, which were absolutely exhausting. It was also emotionally draining for the young woman, especially since the bad news did not stop there: this treatment could make her lose her fertility, according to the doctors.
The NHS gives a non-exhaustive list of Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms, to better understand it and help prevent late diagnoses:
The most common symptom of Hodgkin lymphoma is a swelling in the neck, armpit or groin. The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
The Daily Mail reveals it is more common than we might think:
It affects around 2,000 people each year in the UK, and 8,500 a year in the US.
Read more:Continuous pain in these three body parts could be a sign of cancer
Lily Venus has been in remission for a year now
But since then, Lily has fought back and has been in remission for a year. Another piece of good news is that she kept her fertility and can therefore have children. She has even gotten her previous life back since she can practice sports again as part of her daily life. The sports coach told the Daily Mail she is grateful she finally visited her GP, as it saved her life.
My cancer was already stage four and Hodgkin lymphoma is fast-growing. Who knows where I would be if I hadn't started chemotherapy straight away.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the young woman now has only one desire and one hurry: to become a mother. Let's wish her well!
Read more:Woman reveals bowel cancer symptom she could smell on her hands
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
Sources used:
DailyMail: I assumed I'd just pulled a muscle in my neck - but it actually turned out to be stage four cancer
NHS: Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma
