Doctors said I was just stressed and that my illness was ‘all in my head’ – now I’m fighting for my life
A YOUNG woman has been diagnosed with a harrowing disease after a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Mollie Mulheron, 24, was having the time of her life pursuing her all-time travel dream in the Galapagos Islands.
But during the getaway she started experiencing troubling symptoms which doctors put down to her being “too stressed”.
While on holiday, Mollie, from Skipton, Leeds, described how she almost drowned while snorkelling due to sudden breathing difficulties but that doctors said it was all “in her head”.
That all changed when Mollie collapsed and began vomiting in a supermarket after returning home and was rushed to hospital where doctors diagnosed her with a 15cm tumour over both her heart and lungs.
She was shocked to her core when she was finally diagnosed with a rare stage four cancer.
“That was the worst news of my life, I can’t even explain how it felt now,” explained Mollie when she was told of her stage four non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I just cried and screamed and screamed – it was out of nowhere, I knew something was wrong but I didn’t think it was that wrong.”
Roughly 14,200 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year in the UK, says Lymphoma Action.
Mollie said: “I’m waiting to hear how much it’s spread. It doesn’t mean I’m going to die tomorrow but it means treatment needs to start now.
“They’ve given me an injection to try and preserve my fertility so kids aren’t out of the question – it’s put me in early menopause, it’s the worst part for me as I always wanted to be a mum.”
Mollie worked as an English teacher in the Galapagos Islands, enjoying tropical beach exploring and not having a care in the world.
But she began experiencing strange symptoms, including trouble breathing and swallowing.
Mollie was rushed to the hospital with doctors doing a number of blood tests, CT scans and X-rays to determine what the cause of her poor health was.
That’s when she was told the tumour had been affecting her heart.
Doctors said that the reason she had kept collapsing was because of repeated heart attacks.
Mollie’s treatment included steroids to stop the tumour from growing more combined with chemotherapy soon after the diagnosis – due to the advanced state of the tumour.
“I’ve been fit and healthy my whole life, I’ve always been completely fine – I don’t know what has caused this, I’m healthy and young, three weeks ago I was in Galapagos living my best life”, said Mollie.
Symptoms of non hodgkin's lymphoma you need to know
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body, according to the NHS.
Early symptoms may include:
- Painless swelling in a lymph node
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight loss
- A high temperature (fever)
- Feelings of breathlessness
- Persistent itching of the skin all over the body
“I still can’t comprehend it now – [when I was told] I was screaming to my mum about my future plans, how I wanted to be a mum and get married, all I could do was stare at the wall and cry and scream.”
The NHS states that those most at risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include people with medical conditions such as HIV, those who take medication that weakens your immune system or an autoimmune condition.
Despite her diagnosis, Mollie remains optimistic.
“The doctors seem hopeful they can treat it and say the success rate for the type of cancer I have is good and it looks hopeful say there are a lot of treatments they can try because I’m young, fit and healthy.
“The only sad thing is that it’s stage four which means it’s on both sides of my chest and has spread to other parts of my body.”
According to Cancer Research UK, 80 out of 100 people survive their cancer for one year or more after diagnosis, 65 out of 100 people survive their cancer for five years or more and it’s predicted that 55 out of every 100 survive their cancer for 10 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Mollie has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical and travel costs.