Squeezing in daily workouts at the gym was rather exhausting for 22-year-old Katie, so she wasn’t too concerned by her constant state of fatigue. But when a small lump developed on her neck, she realized something was wrong.
In 2021, Katie, of London, felt healthier than ever, working out around six times a week and constantly striving to improve her fitness. But she couldn’t ignore the persistent tiredness she felt on a daily basis.
She didn’t want to overthink it, so Katie blamed the fatigue on her grueling workout regimen. She told Newsweek that she thought it could be a result of “not eating a lot before going to the gym,” so she tried to work around it.
“My friends and family thought I was just doing too much exercise as I would do over 10,000 steps and go to the gym around 6 times a week. I also had a very busy and stressful job at the time,” Katie said.
It wasn’t too hard to explain the exhaustion—after all, who doesn’t complain that they’re tired?
When Katie, now 26, developed a small pea-sized lump on her neck, that wasn’t as easy to excuse. For a while, she “tried to pretend it was OK,” but as the lump grew, her friends started to notice it and urged Katie to get it checked out.
“I went to the doctor, and they felt the lump and said they didn’t think it felt normal. They also checked around my body and said they thought they could feel other lumps too, and that they were going to refer me,” Katie said.
It was a terrifying prospect, but Katie reminded herself that she was a healthy 20-something who worked out regularly.
After being referred to a specialist, doctors told Katie that it didn’t seem like cancer, although they were concerned about the lump on her neck. So, a biopsy was taken, and she waited three weeks to find out more.
When she eventually got the call, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
Katie was told she needed to see a doctor urgently and was given an emergency appointment. That was when she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 22.
“I remember vividly walking into the consultant’s room and seeing another nurse with a box of tissues, and I just knew it was cancer. I remember it as if it was yesterday. I couldn’t concentrate or hear anything they were saying. It was just awful and heartbreaking,” she said.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system. Lymph nodes are found throughout the body, predominantly in the abdomen, groin, pelvis, chest, underarms, and neck.
When the healthy cells in the lymphatic system change and grow out of control, it is known as Hodgkin lymphoma. The common symptoms include swelling of lymph nodes, fever, tiredness, night sweats, weight loss, and itchy skin.
Suddenly, Katie’s constant fatigue and the mysterious lump on her neck made sense.
But it wasn’t just Katie who would face this health battle, as she couldn’t help but feel for her friends and family who would be by her side. In the months that followed, Katie endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy, which were challenging both physically and emotionally.
Katie recalls how the treatment wiped her out entirely; she lost all the color from her complexion, grew weaker by the day, and lost her hair.
“I really struggled, and I felt like my life had come to a stop whilst everyone’s lives were continuing,” Katie told Newsweek. “I think for me, losing my hair was one of the worst things. I was lucky that, as I was part of the teenage cancer ward, I was able to get counseling to help me through my chemo and deal with what was happening during and after.”
She never imagined she’d be diagnosed with cancer at 22, but she had to persevere. Incredibly, Katie has now been in remission for three years.
To raise awareness and connect with others, Katie has begun sharing her story on TikTok (@katiee123xx0). On her page, she details the road to diagnosis, her treatment, and the signs she missed.
Many of her posts have gone viral, with one reaching over 1.6 million views on TikTok at the time of writing. Social media has helped Katie connect with many other Hodgkin lymphoma warriors and discuss their experiences.
“I still can’t believe that it ended up being cancer,” Katie said. “So many people have fatigue, and usually it ends up being nothing. So, considering I am such a healthy and sporty person, I never would have thought I’d get cancer, especially at 22.”
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