MAIA Henderson-Roe thought she was under the weather from grieving for her pet guinea pig when she noticed swelling in her neck.
But it soon swelled so badly she couldn’t move her head – and she was given the devastating diagnosis of cancer.
“Looking at pictures of me now, my neck was bigger but because it happened so gradually I didn’t notice,” Maia, from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, said.
She first found a lump in her neck in March, which was “a little smaller” than a golf ball.
The 24-year-old said she has overactive lymph nodes, causing them to swell from stress or illness.
Initially, she attributed her swollen neck to being upset by the sudden death of one of her pet guinea pigs.
She said: “I found a lump in my neck, I didn’t really think too much of it because my lymph nodes have always been overactive if I’m stressed or feeling under the weather.
“We ended up losing one of our guinea pigs quite suddenly. I was quite upset by this and I started feeling really cold and having a bit of tiredness.
“I just lost my pet so I put it all down to that.”
But when Maia found two more lumps a month later, she saw her GP – who reportedly said there was nothing to worry about.
She said: “In April, I noticed where I had the lump originally there were now three.
“I booked an appointment and saw the doctor. She checked the lumps and asked if I had any weight loss or night sweats and I said no.
“That was pretty much it, she said I don’t have anything to worry about.”
Another symptom Maia experienced was persistently itchy skin, which she put down to her shower gel and moisturiser.
She said: “I was having a lot of itchy skin but I have sensitive skin and I put it down to that. I changed my body wash frequently and used different moisturisers.
“It got to the point where I was scratching my legs so much it actually cut them because they were so itchy all the time.
By the summer, Maia was still feeling cold even though it was hot outside and started falling asleep in public – prompting her to see an ENT doctor privately.
Again, she was reassured she did not have cancer.
The ex-retail worker said the lumps grew so big that she “could not move her head properly” and was eventually referred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for an ultrasound in July.
Maia was shocked when she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer affecting the white blood cells.
An x-ray revealed there were more lumps in Maia’s chest and neck and she needed six different types of chemotherapy.
The ex-fencing competitor was upset that she had previously been reassured by doctors and claimed she was dismissed for being young and healthy.
Maia has now finished her final cycle of chemotherapy and is waiting for a scan to monitor her progress.
She recalled: “I went away with my partner in May and I was starting to fall asleep in public places which is very out of character for me, but I didn’t think too much of it.
“My family picked up on the fact I was quite cold in the summer and wearing cardigans and in July my neck swelled up drastically and I couldn’t move my head properly.
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
HODGKIN lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes.
It is not common, with around 2,100 people diagnosed every year in the UK.
Hodgkin lymphoma can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75. Slightly more men than women are affected.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on the other hand, is diagnosed in 13,000 new patients per year. It is more common as you get older, with over a third of cases diagnosed in people over the age of 75.
In Hodgkin lymphoma, B-lymphocytes (a particular type of lymphocyte) start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands).
The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, making a person more vulnerable to infection.
Like all cancers, symptoms vary and can be vague. However, patients usually notice swelling in one or more lymph nodes.
This can be in any area of the body, but is often in the neck, armpit or groin.
The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
Some people with Hodgkin lymphoma also have other more general symptoms. These can include:
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight loss
- A high temperature (fever)
- A persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness
- Persistent itching of the skin all over the body
Source: Cancer Research UK and the NHS.
“We went to the Urgent Treatment Centre and I had a chest x-ray and some bloods and they said they couldn’t see anything wrong.
“He recommended I see an ENT doctor. I started taking antibiotics and the swelling in my neck did go down.
“I booked an appointment with the ENT and I was told I have nothing to worry about. He said it could be an infection but he said he was confident it couldn’t be cancer.
“I could move my head very slowly but it was painful. I couldn’t drive because I wasn’t able to turn my head.
“I went in for my ultrasound and he scanned my neck and he said there were lumps everywhere and he was confident it was going to be some sort of lymphoma.
“I was told I had classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”
‘No one thought this could happen’
Maia believes her symptoms were dismissed for so long due to her young age.
“It was very up and down, being told I have nothing to worry about and then being told by the radiologist he was certain it was cancer,” she said.
“I’ve heard of this happening before and I wasn’t too surprised it took a bit of pushing.
“A lot of people don’t expect the young healthy people to get cancer but obviously they do.
“I was upset that I was told confidently that I didn’t have cancer. Doctors make mistakes and I understand, it was more because I was reassured I was fine. That was really not the case.
“My family was also reassured by it. I had a feeling there was something not right but I kept pushing.
“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I exercise regularly, I have a good diet. No one really thought this was going to happen.”
The 24-year-old ended up getting treated privately to dodge high NHS waiting lists.
Maia, who represented Team GB and England as a fencer, quit fencing to focus on her master’s – but she was training to start competing again before her diagnosis.
“I took a break from fencing but I was training to get back into competing so I planned to go back when I finish my master’s,” she said.
“I was competing in competitions here and there, but now I have lost a lot of my muscle mass.
“I’m quite shaky and my hands are quite weak. I have more trouble with getting out of breath faster.”
Maia is now considering a career change due to her cancer and her mum Carrie launched a fundraiser to help her pay for university, as she no longer qualifies for loans.
You can donate to Maia’s cause here.
