Woman diagnosed with rare stage four cancer after doctors said symptoms were down to stress

A woman has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer after previously being told her symptoms were due to stress.

Mollie Mulheron, 24, had been travelling in the Galapagos Islands when she began to experience her symptoms, but was told by local doctors that she was simply ‘too stressed’.

It was only when she returned to the UK and collapsed in a supermarket that doctors discovered a 15 cm tumour over her heart and lungs.

Mollie was later given a diagnosis of stage four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is currently undergoing treatment.

Mollie, from Skipton, North Yorkshire, said: "That was the worst news of my life, I can’t even explain how it felt now.

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“I just cried and screamed and screamed – it was out of nowhere, I knew something was wrong but I didn’t think it was that wrong.

“I’m waiting to hear how much it’s spread. It doesn’t mean I’m going to die tomorrow but it means treatment needs to start now.

"They've given me an injection to try and preserve my fertility so kids aren't out of the question - it's put me in early menopause, it's the worst part for me as I always wanted to be a mum."

Mollie had jetted out to the Galapagos Islands to pursue her dream of travelling and had worked as an English teacher.

However, she began to suffer from numerous symptoms including trouble breathing and swallowing.

She flew back to the UK in February but within 48-hours, had to be rushed into hospital after she collapsed and started throwing up in a supermarket.

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At the hospital she was subjected to numerous tests and scans after which she was given the devastating diagnosis.

“I’ve been fit and healthy my whole life, I’ve always been completely fine – I don’t know what has caused this, I’m healthy and young, three weeks ago I was in Galapagos living my best life”, said Mollie.

“I still can’t comprehend it now - [when I was told] I was screaming to my mum about my future plans, how I wanted to be a mum and get married, all I could do was stare at the wall and cry and scream."

She continued: “When I finally got the results, it wasn’t what we hoped for – it's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is rare and aggressive.

“The doctors seem hopeful they can treat it and say the success rate for the type of cancer I have is good and it looks hopeful.

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“The only sad thing is that it’s stage four which means it’s on both sides of my chest and has spread to other parts of my body.

“I started chemo and had a bad reaction to the first treatment, but the doctors said it was because they started it too fast, and after that it was okay, I just had a few side effects like headaches.

“The doctors say there are a lot of treatments they can try because I’m young, fit and healthy.”

Mollie has set up a GoFundMe to help cover her expenses while she undergoes treatment - you can donate here.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week