A young woman who noticed a lump in her neck, lost weight and felt ‘incredibly fatigued’ was told by doctors that her symptoms were ‘nothing to worry about’.
However, the side effects continued and 18 months later Charlotte Squires was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma the week before her 24th birthday.
‘By the time I was diagnosed, it wasn’t a shock but a relief,’ Charlotte, from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. told Femail.
‘I went to the doctor multiple times to get some answers but was blatantly ignored.
‘I was told “you look so good, you’ve lost so much weight” – when the weight loss was a major symptom.’
Now the 31-year-old mum and doula is on a mission to encourage other women to voice their concerns and trust their gut if something seems wrong.
Charlotte Squires (pictured with partner Jack and their two kids) was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma the week before her 24th birthday in July 2016
Her symptoms included a lump on the side of her neck, itchy skin, weight loss and fatigue yet despite visiting the GP multiple times all was ignored for 18 months. ‘By the time I was diagnosed, it wasn’t a shock but a relief,’ she said
Prior to receiving the diagnosis, Charlotte was living a ‘classic early 20s lifestyle’ of going out with friends and enjoying her youth. She was also running a small business full-time.
‘Life was very busy, fun and full of exciting things happening. But it was tainted by these physical symptoms I was experiencing,’ she recalled.
‘As busy as I was, I was unable to keep up with the pace of it all.’
While travelling in New York with her partner and brother she felt a lump in left clavicle – the first of several symptoms.
During the trip her skin also became ‘incredibly itchy’ and a rash appeared on her legs.
‘I thought maybe I had bedbugs but my partner didn’t feel itchy,’ she said. As a whole her body ‘didn’t feel right’ at the time.
After arriving home she went to visit her GP who wasn’t too concerned.
Prior to receiving the diagnosis, Charlotte was living a ‘classic early 20s lifestyle’ of going out with friends and enjoying her youth. ‘Life was very busy, fun and full of exciting things happening. But it was tainted by these physical symptoms I was experiencing,’ she recalled
Life passed by and she visited the doctor multiple times but never received any answers.
‘I was seeing a PT, naturopath and was the healthiest I’d ever been but still thought I was doing something wrong,’ she said and was left feeling ‘confused’ but her mum spurred her on to push for answers.
So she went to a different doctor whom she hadn’t seen for ‘years’ to get a second opinion.
‘He asked me, ‘What’s your biggest fear? What do you think this is?’ and I said, ‘I think it’s Hodgkin’s lymphoma’,’ Charlotte said.
‘I relied on Google doctor to think about what it could be and I had never heard of Hodgkins before.’
By this point she had also started noticing lumps swell under her armpits – another common symptom of the blood cancer.
Charlotte then had ‘every type of test’ to understand why her symptoms were occurring, including a biopsy which was ‘inconclusive’. She also saw an ENT surgeon for another minor biopsy.
Flash forward nine weeks and she received the dreadful news – it was cancer.
‘Stage four is as bad as it can get. I was so shocked that it got so bad. My hematologist was shocked I slipped through the cracks of the medical system,’ she said.
Flash forward nine weeks and she received the dreadful news – it was cancer. ‘Stage four is as bad as it can get. I was so shocked that it got so bad. My hematologist was shocked I slipped through the cracks of the medical system,’ she said.
‘Being diagnosed was my worst nightmare come true. I walked out of the appointment and my entire life was shattered into a million pieces,’ she said.
‘I spoke to my regular family doctor who asked what my biggest fear was with this, and I wasn’t scared of dying but I was scared about the possibility of not having children.’
The cancer was scattered all through her neck, underarms, groin, and chest – but all were ‘tiny tumours that were no larger than 7cm.
Before starting treatment, she opted for IVF to retrieve some of her eggs to be used for a later date.
‘I’ve always wanted to be a mum and fertility was a major concern I had. IVF was a one month process then I started chemotherapy in August,’ she recalled.
Treatment was required every fortnight for six months and radiotherapy wasn’t necessary.
After the first few sessions Charlotte says she felt a ‘reduction in size’ of the lumps she had in her neck, and a PET scan confirmed the treatment was working to shrink the tumours.
By the end of the treatment there were no further signs of the cancer and she entered remission.
Today Charlotte can happily say she is five years cancer free and within that time she’s had two children naturally without requiring the eggs that were retrieved
‘The whole journey to wellness was a big process of coming home to myself. I relearnt how to take care of myself,’ she said.
‘Cancer was the worst wrapped gift I ever received – it was awful and I’d never want to go through it again but it made me appreciate life in a while other way.’
‘Today I trust my gut instinct so much more than ever. It’s been a huge precursor into motherhood.’
Thankfully six months of chemotherapy worked to rid her body of the deadly cancer and she’s now been five years cancer free. In that time she’s also had two children naturally and didn’t use the eggs which were retrieved through IVF
Charlotte hopes her story with inspire others – particularly young women – to ensure their health is a top priority. ‘Trust yourself, back yourself, because you know best. Find people who will listen and validate your concerns and experience,’ she said
Charlotte hopes her story with inspire others – particularly young women – to ensure their health is a top priority.
‘Trust yourself, back yourself, because you know best. Find people who will listen and validate your concerns and experience,’ she said.
‘Ultimately, when our back is up against the wall when we need that support, if the right people aren’t advocating for us.. we’re done for.
‘It’s really important that women listen to themselves and their gut instinct if they do experience symptoms.’
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