A young woman in the UK received a nightmare diagnosis after going to doctor complaining of feeling tired.
Natalie Hughes, 29, from St Helens, visited doctors when she started to feel more tired than usual and found 'lumps' in her neck.
The healthy mother-of-one's world 'came crashing down' after she was given an explanation by doctors for her 'tiredness' and was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma - a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
READ MORE: Irish mum battling incurable cancer wracked with guilt over impact on her kids
Natalie was diagnosed on March 21 but since then has had several blood tests, biopsies, CT and Pet scans across four different hospitals and was given the heartbreaking news her cancer had advanced to stage four cancer.
The 29-year-old was told that her cancer had spread to her bones and was working its way through her vital organs.
Her sister Natasha Ashton, 34, told the Liverpool Echo: "She got checked in March and was diagnosed really fast, straight away. It was devastating, we are all heartbroken. She was at the gym every day, healthy eating, she is the last person you'd expect it to happen to.
"She's just amazing, she's my rock. She's the rock for us all. She's really inspiring, I don't know how she's dealing with it all."
The family is bravely sharing Natalie's journey in the hopes of raising vital awareness as they urge people to know their bodies and to seek out medical support if anything is out of the ordinary. Natasha said: "As a family we want to raise awareness of the cancer that Natalie has and it can happen to anyone."
The family is hoping Natalie, who was studying a second degree in therapeutic counselling, will be able to go abroad for treatment which could increase her remission time.
Natasha added: "We want her to have a longer life and be in remission for longer. It's incurable but this treatment gives her a longer time in remission. It's already spread everywhere."
Natalie, who has a degree in health and social wellbeing, is said to be coming to terms with everything and is currently seeking out treatment options.
The family said: "Us as a family alongside Natalie are trying to come to terms with everything that is happening right now as everything is still raw, it has been truly heart-breaking but the love and support around Natalie is helping her to fight back and try to get through such a tough time."
What is 'Follicular Lymphoma'?
According to Cancer Research UK, follicular lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Each year around 2,600 people are diagnosed in the UK.
Common symptoms include:
- Painless swellings in the neck, armpit or groin - these are enlarged lymph nodes
- Heavy sweating at night
- High temperatures that come and go
- Losing a lot of weight
- Some people also report unexplained itching
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