Woman told she was 'stressed' by doctors actually had stage four cancer
A woman who was initially told she was suffering symptoms stemming from stress has been diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Mollie Mulheron, from Skipton, Leeds, was recently living her 'best life' in the Galapagos Islands teaching English, but things took a turn for the worse when she collapsed in a supermarket.
The 24-year-old was initially told by doctors it was down to stress, and despite experiencing so much difficulty breathing while snorkelling that she almost drowned, medics concluded the issue was psychological.
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However, upon returning to the UK, Mollie collapsed again and was rushed to hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with a 15cm tumour over her heart and lungs.
Now, Mollie has been given a diagnosis of stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma - and she still can't comprehend what's happened.
"That was the worst news of my life, I can't even explain how it felt now," she said.
"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.
"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 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 underwent blood tests, X-rays and CT scans, and after giving the devastating diagnosis, doctors explained that the tumour had been affecting her heart, with her collapses caused by heart attacks.
She was prescribed steroids to stop the tumour from growing any more, and due to the advanced state of the tumour, Mollie swiftly began chemotherapy.
"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," Mollie said.
"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."
She continued: "When I finally got the results, it wasn't what we hoped for – it's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is rare and aggressive.
"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.
"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.
"I started chemo and had a bad reaction to the first treatment, but the doctors said it was because they started it too fast, and after that it was okay, I just had a few side effects like headaches.
"The doctors say there are a lot of treatments they can try because I'm young, fit and healthy."
Jake Massey