Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News Media
Topics: Cancer, Food And Drink, Health
Dan Seddon
One woman claims her Pret a Manger coffee subscription 'saved her life' as it led to her discovering she had cancer.
In January 2023, Zee Valentina was taking on all five of the free hot caffeinated drinks she was entitled to at the chain, but they were doing nothing for the 'debilitating' fatigue that had recently taken over her life.
The 31-year-old project manager initially put it down to work-related stress and late nights, but the powerless effect of the coffees became a 'red flag' for her, so she sought out some medical advice.
To make matters worse, Zee was dealing with a pair of pea-sized lumps on her neck too, but a local GP reportedly advised her to just take vitamin D tablets.
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After months of worsening symptoms, she was finally referred to Hammersmith Hospital, which resulted in a Stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma confirmation.
"I started to feel extremely bad fatigue, it wasn't the normal type," recounted Zee, who's thankfully now in remission.
"I thought I probably just burned myself out and was overworked. Even if I had 13 hours of sleep on the weekends, it wasn't enough for me.
"I started having five coffees a day from January to August. The subscription was £20 a month and I thought I'd make the most of it. I'd have five coffees with double shots and would get the shakes but I was so desperate for help. Before that I would only have a maximum of two coffees. That was the biggest red flag."
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At this juncture, Zee was feeling 'very drowsy' and could barely think or function.
Her GP was quick to brush her off with vitamin D pills, but two months into the course she hadn't improved.
"I just knew in my heart something was wrong. I had a gut feeling and I was going to trust that because in my life my gut feeling has always been right," she continued.
"I was thinking that whatever it is, it's now growing and brewing inside me. I now had four lumps and the biggest was the size of a golf ball. The rheumatologist called me after a couple of days [after the CT scan] and said it was sadly Hodgkin Lymphoma."
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Upon hearing this devastating news, Zee 'fell to floor and started crying' at work.
"Everything in my life came crashing down. I just felt like my entire world went dark," she said.
After a difficult six months of chemotherapy, she was then informed that she'd need more treatment in addition to a stem cell transplant.
"Sadly the lymphoma had returned in my neck, chest, and liver. I was absolutely devastated," recalled Zee. "The doctors said they didn't expect this. I went into a deep depression. I wanted to live and see my future."
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Finally, in November 2024, the West Londoner was told by doctors that her cancer was in remission.
"You are the only person that's going to fight for you," commented Zee. "We get one life, one body, you shouldn't feel guilty for advocating for yourself. It's so easy to ignore it but if it's cancer, it grows. If I was taken seriously earlier I could have caught it at an earlier stage."
According to the NHS, Hodgkin Lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system; a network of vessels and glands spread throughout our bodies. The most common symptom of Hodgkin Lymphoma is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.