Man shares symptoms he faced that led him to being diagnosed with stage four cancer aged 21

A man has revealed what symptoms he experienced before being diagnosed with stage four cancer at the age of 21.

Jay Shew explained that he had been 'brushing off' some of the warning signs that his health wasn't in full working order before they became impossible to ignore.

The lad from Sydney, Australia, has taken to social media to share his story in the hopes of educating others on what to look out for while also encouraging people to get checked out by a doctor ASAP.

He was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma - which is the most advanced stage of the disease - a few months after his symptoms first began in August 2023.

According to Cancer Research UK, this is a type of blood cancer which develops in the lymphatic system and affects white blood cells called lymphocytes.

The charity explains: "When you have Hodgkin lymphoma, some of your white blood cells (B lymphocytes) become abnormal and multiply. You then have more lymphocytes than usual, but they can’t fight infections as well as they should.

"The cells can then clump together usually within lymph nodes or other parts of the lymphatic system to form tumours. This can cause problems in the lymphatic system and the part of the body where they are growing."

A sign of Hodgkin’s lymphoma can sometimes emerge when you drink alcohol, experts at Harvard found.

So what symptoms did Jay notice that he initially dismissed?

In a TikTok video, he explained that the first red flag about his health arose after he got a routine blood test last summer.

"I didn't have any symptoms at the time, I was just living normal everyday...A couple of days later, my results come back," the social media user said.

"She calls me and she says, 'Your calcium is high'. I don't think much of it, I left it. But when your calcium is high, it means that your bones are fighting off a disease. I didn't know that."

A couple of months later, he explained that his friends and family began to notice a drastic change in his appearance - but at the time, he couldn't see it himself.

Jay continued: "I start to drop a lot of weight and I legit like go white. I turned like a ghost, I was so pale. I didn't notice.

"I looked in the mirror and I was like, 'I'm fine? I don't look skinny, I don't look pale'. I couldn't see it.

"During this time, I did have cancer symptoms, but I didn't know they were cancer symptoms."

The Aussie also recalled how he experienced excruciating pain in his lower back that made it feel as though it was 'breaking', which often disturbed his sleep - however, he thought he simply had a disc issue.

As well as this, he'd often wake up to sodden sheets after intense night sweats, while he was also 'really, really tired' everyday.

"One morning, I woke up and I thought I pissed the bed - that's how bad it was," Jay said. "I looked at my shirt and I was like, 'This is sweat?'

"Another symptom was, I was very, very tired and I could not move. I'd wake up and a couple hours later I'd be back in bed having a nap."

Jay said that he also lost a significant amount of weight during this time, adding: "Since I got the blood test up until [then], I was having every single cancer symptom, I just didn't realise it."

Other signs also included a recurring rash on different parts of his body as well as 'dry skin'.

Jay then began to experience chest pain 'like he'd never had it before' as well as a 'really bad cough', which he initially thought was down to a chest infection.

After visiting his GP and receiving a course of antibiotics, he recalled feeling 'brand new' - but three days later, he got sick again, only this time it was a lot worse.

His doctor then advised him to get a CT scan at the hospital, which is where he later received the news that he was suffering from stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jay is now thankfully in recovery after finishing his treatment in July this year, which has only spurred his mission to inform as many people as he can about cancer symptoms even more.

He told social media users in the comment section that he was 'well and healthy now' while thanking them for their kind comments about his journey.

"I’m glad I’m better now and at the moment, I'm just trying my best to maintain good health and of course convince other people to get themselves checked up before it’s too late," he wrote.