A 28-year-old cancer survivor says her NHS aunt helped her get the correct diagnosis after doctors dismissed her Hodgkin Lymphoma symptoms as a common cold.
Paris Wells, a beauty therapist from Kent, tried to get a GP appointment after feeling tired and noticing swelling in her neck but all they had was a telephone appointment four days later.
Worried it was something serious, she took herself to A&E at the Princess Royal Hospital in Orpington, where, she says, doctors told her the symptoms were the result of a common cold.
But Paris's aunt, who works in the hospital's radiology department, refused to accept the diagnosis and organised for her niece to get a scan and later a biopsy.
The biopsy results revealed Paris had Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system drains fluid from the body and helps it fight infections and viruses.
Every year, roughly 2,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with the illness. It can develop at any age but mostly affects people between the ages of 20 and 40, as well as those aged over 75
Paris underwent gruelling treatment for her cancer which reached stage two at its worse, including eight rounds of chemotherapy and 17 rounds of radiotherapy, and officially entered remission at the end of last year.
She is now cancer free but struggling to process the emotional turmoil of what happened - an experience, she says, not helped by the fact a long-term relationship ended at the same time.
"I will be having counselling to deal with life after cancer," Paris said. "In the same week of being diagnosed my boyfriend of nine years ended things with me. It was a lot to take on as well as being told you have cancer.
"I still struggle now with how he couldn't even be there as a friend for me, but hopefully the counselling with help with everything.
Paris credits her aunt with getting diagnosed her correctly diagnosed.
"When I first noticed my lump I phoned the doctors that day to get an appointment, and they could only offer me a telephone appointment four days later," she said.
"Being worried I took myself to A&E the next day. They told me it was a lymph node from a cold a week before, and that it didn't feel cancerous.
"Luckily my auntie works in radiology. She knew the lump didn’t look right and got a second opinion She showed someone she works with who said I need to get it checked soon as possible.
"She got me scanned straight away, and from there I then needed a biopsy. It came back to be cancer. I was diagnosed within four weeks because of her."
After her diagnosis, Paris froze her eggs in case chemotherapy affected her future chances of having children. She then began her treatment plan at the Princess Royal Hospital.
"After four rounds of chemotherapy I had a PET scan to see how I was reacting and I was clear, but I still had to complete another four rounds to finish the course. After that I had to have 17 sessions of Radiotherapy, attending Guy's Hospital every day.
"The side effects are pretty awful until you get that under control, and knowing that my scan was clear and I still had to have four more Chemotherapy sessions was challenging."
Paris's family and friends have been extremely supportive of her on her journey, helping her throughout her cancer treatment and now as she fundraises.
"I completed the lymphoma action walk before my treatment with my friends, and I became an ambassador for the Chartwell Cancer Trust," Paris said.
"My family and friends have come along to charity events I have put on, and it was my best friend Lauren and my Nan who took me to appointments.
"Everyone was waiting for me outside my last Chemotherapy session to ring the bell."
Paris is now rebuilding her life after cancer.
"It's important to not be afraid and keep a positive mindset. I’m off on a well-deserved holiday and going back to work.
"In the future, I would really like to set up a podcast discussing people's journeys and what helped us through things, so when anyone else is diagnosed they can listen too."
The NHS says the most common symptoms of Hodgkin Lymphoma is swelling in the neck, groin or armpit. The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
According to the NHS website, it's highly unlikely that you have Hodgkin lymphoma if you have swollen lymph nodes, as these glands often swell as a response to infection.
