22-Year-Old Diagnosed with Cancer After Symptoms Were Dismissed as ‘Pulled Muscle’: ‘I Knew Something Wasn’t Right’

NEED TO KNOW

• Emma Herring, 22, was misdiagnosed multiple times before learning she had stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma

• Her aggressive cancer required immediate chemotherapy, leaving her unable to freeze her eggs or prepare for hair loss

• Herring shares her journey to encourage others to trust their instincts and seek second opinions if dismissed

A young woman was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer after her symptoms were initially dismissed as a “pulled muscle.”

Emma Herring — 22-year-old optical assistant from Durham, England — started experiencing chest pains in April 2025. She “knew something wasn’t right” so she made an appointment with her general practitioner. However, a nurse practitioner told her the pain was likely due to “anxiety.”

In May, her symptoms hadn’t improved so she went to the emergency room for an electrocardiogram (ECG) and saw another general practitioner.

“No ECG was done and he told me it was likely I had pulled a muscle while having a panic attack,” she told Southwest News Service, via the Mirror. “I have a history of anxiety, but I hadn’t even mentioned having a panic attack, so I don’t know where that came from.”

“In August I had an X-ray and they could see a mass, but (they) prescribed me antibiotics for suspected pneumonia as they discounted cancer due to my age,” she added.

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Herring’s condition was still concerning in the weeks after. So in early November, she was finally referred to the University Hospital of North Durham for another X-ray and a CT scan. The following morning, she received a devastating phone call telling her that she was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.

Doctors informed her that she had a 7-centimeter tumor in her chest and a 4-centimeter tumor in her neck. Additionally, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.

“It wasn’t done in a consultation room with doctors, nurses or with any other support — just over the phone,” she recalled. “We went to hospital and that is when we were told it was stage 4 cancer, the most advanced stage you can get, and I didn’t believe it. It was and still is the scariest thing I have ever gone through in my life.”

Due to the aggressive nature of her cancer, Herring started chemotherapy immediately. She admitted it was heartbreaking to lose her hair three weeks into treatment, and even more difficult not being able to freeze her eggs beforehand.

“My hair was my identity and I wasn’t prepared for how quickly it happened. I also didn’t have a chance to freeze my eggs and there’s a chance I could end up infertile,” she said. “Because of the aggressiveness of my cancer, we just had to go straight into chemo, so they didn’t have time to do that for me. It is upsetting thinking I may not be able to have children or may get an early menopause too.”

“The whole experience has really affected me mentally, but also physically as well. I have to sometimes get my mum to help me out of the shower and I am 22,” she continued. “I just never ever expected to get cancer, especially not at this age. I was finally getting to a happy place in my life, got my own flat, and now it has all gone away from me.”

Herring said her “life is on hold” and she’s barely been able to leave the hospital due to complications. She was originally supposed to undergo four rounds of chemotherapy, but doctors said she now requires six rounds. She is currently in the middle of her fifth.

“I have always been relatively healthy, apart from the odd cold, I haven’t been ill like this before — it is just absolutely crazy,” she told the outlet. “It is just frustrating because I knew something was up, all the signs were there. But because of my age, we just didn’t think it would be as bad as it is and so progressive.”

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Herring said she’s trying to remain positive about her future. She’s now sharing her journey in hopes of encouraging other women to trust their gut and seek a second opinion if they feel like they’re being dismissed.

“I just want others to be aware of the symptoms, to seek a second opinion if things don’t feel right, don’t be afraid to bug them, like I did. People need to listen to their bodies,” she said.

“I just take each day as it comes — you have good days and bad days and try to even approach the bad days with positivity,” she added. “I have realised worrying or being scared or sad will not change anything and I’m just being positive.”

Read the original article on People