A 25-year-old woman says a GP “laughed” at her when she suggested she might have cancer, but later discovered she had Hodgkin lymphoma.
Kelly Underwood, from Birmingham, first presented with lethargy, sore eyes and rashes on her knuckles in February 2025.
By June, she noticed a lump in her neck, which is when her partner, Olivia Read, 28, encouraged her to seek medical advice.
She said a GP confirmed a swollen lymph node, but could not explain its cause, suggesting that Kelly monitor it for a week and come back if her condition did not improve.
For the next three months, Kelly said she was “back and forth” to her GP surgery a total of six times, with a series of medical professionals unable to diagnose her condition.
Feeling frustrated, Kelly said she went to one particular appointment with her mum, who said: “How many times has she got to come back to you before you do something?”
She eventually received a phone call from a doctor, who said she had been looking at Kelly’s blood results from the last five years, and they seemed abnormal, citing low iron and raised inflammatory markers, which is when the doctor made a follow-up appointment.
That is when Kelly and Olivia searched for these symptoms on Google, prompting her to ask a doctor if it could be cancer.
Kelly said: “They laughed at us and said there was no way it was cancer, which I actually felt reassured about. I came out of that appointment and thought I'd better just believe what they were saying.”
Doctors ended up referring Kelly for a biopsy, CT scan and ultrasound, as she says her eyes were more bloodshot, she was getting increasingly tired and she felt the lump was growing.
A follow-up appointment was made for September 8 to discuss the results with a doctor.
Kelly brought Olivia with her and the doctor’s face slumped when she revealed: “I’m really sorry to tell you but you’ve got cancer.”
“The first time she said that word, I thought I hadn’t heard it right,” Kelly said.
“I just burst out into tears.
“The next thing I remember is looking at Liv and I’ve never seen her cry the way she did.
“You know when you have a moment that you’ll never forget?
“I wanted to know what the plan was, but all the doctor could tell me was that they didn’t have enough information.
“She couldn’t tell me what the treatment plan was or if it was even curable.
“So we came out of that appointment really upset and thinking that I was going to die at 24.”
The next day, Olivia called the doctor to demand answers, which is how the pair found out it was Hodgkin lymphoma, but they did not know any more.
Kelly says she waited 10 “panicked” days and heard “absolutely nothing”, until a follow-up appointment confirmed it was classic Hodgkin lymphoma – a cancer with a generally good prognosis – and that she was young and fit so they were going to put her on the “most intense” treatment regime.
Main symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma
NHS
Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include:
- a painless lump or swelling, usually in your neck, armpit or groin – this is the most common symptom
- pain in the glands in your neck, armpit or groin when you drink alcohol
- a high temperature
- night sweats
- shortness of breath
- itchy skin
- sudden weight loss
The doctor revealed they were also requesting an urgent bed at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, due to concerns a lymph node pressing against her windpipe may obstruct her breathing.
While Kelly waited for a call from the hospital to say that the bed was ready, Olivia was by her side.
That is when Kelly made a last-minute plan for a bold romantic gesture.
Kelly said: “I didn’t want to propose to her while I had no hair from cancer treatment and I didn’t look like me.
“So I got the ring I had bought long before my diagnosis and I told Liv to get dressed up.
“I had actually planned to propose to her at the top of Kenilworth Castle, which we both love.
“But just as we were about to set off, I got the call that the bed was ready.
“So instead, I had to quickly write a speech on my phone and I took her to a Costa drive-through because we love coffee.
“I just did it there and we both cried in the car.”
Once admitted to hospital, Kelly was told she would be having “escalated BEACOPDac”, which is a 21-day cycle of chemotherapy in hospital, filgrastim injections which stimulate the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells, and steroids, totalling six rounds and starting at the end of September.
Kelly began losing her hair after the first round, as well as suffering from bone marrow pain from the injections, and immobility, and her mental health has been a “rollercoaster”.
Throughout it all, Olivia has stood by Kelly, proposing back to her in October while on a walk in Sutton Park, via a trail lit up with the words “Marry me?”
Kelly has been supported by the Teenage Cancer Trust’s youth support co-ordinator, Cathy, who helped distract her during chemo by playing card games or talking about their favourite books and always being just a phone call away.
The charity supports anyone diagnosed with cancer aged 13 to 24, and their loved ones too.
Now, Kelly has finished her last round of chemotherapy, as of January 14.
Next, she will have a PET scan at the end of February to check for signs of cancer and has an appointment booked for early March, which she is hoping will be the moment she gets the all-clear.
The couple are looking forward to a low-key engagement at their local pub with family, then a wedding within two years.
Reflecting on what she has learned, Kelly said: “You get told about checking your boobs, but you don’t get told about checking your neck.
“I also think people need to advocate for themselves with doctors if they’re not being referred properly.
“We all think that it’s never going to be us, but it could be.”
For more information about the Teenage Cancer Trust, visit its website at www.teenagecancertrust.org.
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