Georgia What cancer were you diagnosed with? Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma What age were you diagnosed? 23 What has helped you to thrive? I have been told that my positivity throughout has played a big part in this. Also the support from my friends and family and finally for my work for being so understanding. Georgia's Story In around March 2019 I started to become suspicious with the amount of pressure I was getting in my head and neck. It was constantly making me feel like I was doing a handstand and I couldn’t bend down without it feeling like my head was going to explode. I would also go this bright red/blue. It wasn’t unbearable and there was no pain but it was stopping me doing things I would normally do. I took myself to the doctors various times where I was constantly being told the pollen count was high this year and that I had hay fever. I went away for a couple of months in hope that it would go with time when in fact it started to get worse. I then started getting out of breath really easy. I couldn’t walk up the stairs without it feeling like I had just run a marathon. I blamed this on my fitness level and where I was burning the candle at both ends. In around June my face started getting considerably bigger… as if I was having an allergic reaction to something. Some mornings I would wake up more swollen than others. On June the 23rd I decided to take myself A & E as I was getting quite concerned how my face was beginning to look. The doctors took my blood and still could not find anything wrong with me. It was only until they sent me for a chest X-RAY where they found the large mass. I stayed in the hospital that week where I had lots of additional tests to find my actual diagnosis (which included CT scans, PET scans and a biopsy). On July 4th 2019 I was diagnoses with Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (PMBCL). The reason for my swollen face was because of the large mass pushing down on my heart and blood vessels causing everything to be restricted. It all started to make sense… I was told I was going to need 6 rounds of R-CHOP chemotherapy every other week which was a moderately aggressive type. I have now had 4 rounds of chemotherapy and my doctor at the UCLH has told me my body is reacting considerably well to it. Early detection makes such a difference and saves a lot of lives affected by blood cancers. Starting treatment early improves effectiveness and the chances of survival. If you are getting any of the following symptoms: Swollen Glands(often in the neck, armpit or groin) Night Sweats Fatigue Shortness of Breath Itching Bone/Joint Pain PLEASE GO AND GET CHECKED! READ MORE OF GEORGIA'S STORY Manage Cookie Preferences