Girl who was told by doctors her symptoms were 'teen problems' warns young people to check neck

Georgia Kennedy was diagnosed with lymphoma crab aged 19 aft battling utmost tiredness, a cough and had noticed a lump connected her cervix - and has present shared immoderate communal symptoms

A pupil who had a lump connected her cervix for 2 years and was told by doctors her symptoms were "teenage problems" earlier she was fixed a devastating cancer diagnosis has present fixed a informing to different young people.

Georgia Kennedy, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed with lymphoma crab aged 19 aft battling utmost tiredness, a cough and had noticed a lump connected her neck. Following her experience, Georgia, who was fixed the all-clear successful May 2023 aft six cycles of chemotherapy, is present calling for young radical to beryllium alert of communal crab signs.

The trampoline gymnast and coach, who is present 21, had struggled with tiredness since she was 15 and said she enactment her symptoms connected the "back burner" arsenic she explained: "I was a bushed teenager compared to my friends. I'd stopped each my sports due to the fact that of it and chopped down connected activities, but erstwhile Covid deed I enactment the contented connected the backmost burner. When I was diagnosed it made sense.

"I had tiredness since I was astir 15. I ne'er had an X-ray taken, I had ECGs, echoes, accent tests, slumber studies. I thought I had narcolepsy. I was told it was 'teenage problems' and that I'd get implicit it."

Then, successful October 2022, Georgia developed a cough which led to her going to infirmary and being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. She said: "I thought my cough was seasonal truthful ignored it for a fewer weeks, but I wasn't improving truthful I made a GP appointment.

"They looked astatine my notes, saw that I had asthma erstwhile I was younger and told maine to usage inhalers for a fewer weeks. It was getting worse truthful a fewer weeks aboriginal I rang them again and they asked maine however I'd similar to proceed. I was lone 19 and had nary idea.

"I ended up having an X-ray a fewer days later. They said it looked abnormal but that it was thing urgent and I'd person a CT aft Christmas." Three days earlier Christmas, Georgia was successful Peterborough City Hospital A&E struggling to respire and had different thorax x-ray. She said she had a tingly feeling successful her face, thorax symptom and couldn't respire properly.

Georgia added: "A caregiver said it could beryllium an infection, but it's astir apt cancer. I hadn't adjacent registered crab arsenic an enactment truthful I thought that can't beryllium right. I retrieve having passageway vision, I couldn't truly perceive anyone, and it was similar my senses were gone. I conscionable sat determination reasoning this can't beryllium happening.

"When I developed the cough, I did person a lump connected my cervix that I didn't notice. Now erstwhile I look backmost astatine photos, I tin spot the lump from possibly 2 years earlier I was diagnosed. But due to the fact that it was truthful tiny and grew truthful gradually, I didn't ever accidental thing astir it."

Teenage Cancer Trust probe has recovered that conscionable 17% of 13-24-year-olds cognize each 5 of the main informing signs of crab successful young people. Georgia said: "You perceive to cheque for lumps and bumps successful your breasts, but you're ne'er told to cheque anyplace other similar your cervix oregon lymph nodes, truthful you wouldn't.

"I'd besides mislaid astir 10 kilos from summertime to that Christmas and again, didn't notice. I consciousness similar I'm partially to blasted due to the fact that I didn't announcement a batch of these things and I deliberation my mum feels a spot of guilt astir that too. But you ne'er deliberation it's going to beryllium crab and the symptoms tin beryllium implicit a longer play of clip than you think."

Georgia was diagnosed with suspected Hodgin lymphoma and had six cycles of chemotherapy and was fixed the each wide successful May 2023. She went travelling pursuing her remission and is present studying play astatine Manchester University.

Louise Soanes, Teenage Cancer Trust Chief Nurse, said: "It's truthful important to cognize your ain assemblage to beryllium capable to spot immoderate changes. Although crab successful young radical is rare, it does happen, truthful it's truly important that young radical cognize the astir communal signs."

Five astir communal signs of crab successful young people

1. Lumps, bumps and swellings

2. Unexplained tiredness

3. Mole changes

4. Persistent pain

5. Unexplained value change