I thought I was just lazy, old and out of shape – now I’m watching my life slip away after shock diagnosis

WHEN Taylor Roys began experiencing symptoms such as a cough and sweating, she considered a number of potential causes.

But she never expected the diagnosis that would come, and aged just 32, she says she’s ‘watching her life slip away’.

“The kind of devastation you hear about but never think will happen to you.”

Reeling from shock, Taylor tried to rebuild.

But with everything going on, she brushed off symptoms unil three months after the fire, she received more shattering news.

She had cancer – stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. The cancer develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread around the body.

“It’s in my blood, my bones, and my lungs,” Taylor says.

“I thought losing my home was the worst thing that could happen to me. Then cancer came along.”

Taylor says she brushed off a number of subtle symptoms as being “lazy, old or out of shape”;.

“I thought I had insomnia because I just couldn’t sleep,”; she says. “I’d wake up drenched in sweat, but I assumed it was just stress.

I had a persistent cough that I blamed on vaping.

“I was always overheating, constantly hot, and I figured I was just out of shape.

“I withdrew from people, had no energy to go out. I thought I was just becoming an introvert.

“Another big symptom was itchy skin but I thought it was allergies or eczema.”;

She then began to develop pain throughout her body – but again put it down to getting older.

“I was tripping over my feet, running into things. I thought I was just clumsy. I lost my appetite, dropped weight fast, but I blamed it on the stress of losing my house.”

Finally in August 2024, a lump appeared on Taylor’s neck, which was what pushed her to see a doctor.

A biopsy was carried out and Hodgkin lymphoma was diagnosed – it was a punch to the gut.

If my story helps even one person recognise the warning signs earlier, then at least something good can come from this.

Taylor

Even clues in blood tests were overlooked prior, Taylor says.

“Low iron, high platelets, elevated CRP levels,”; Taylor says.

“The doctors weren’t overly concerned, so neither was I.”;

The diagnosis has shattered Taylor’s hopes for the future, including starting a family.

“All I wanted was to be the best version of myself,” she explains. “I focused on becoming someone I could be proud of.

“I worked so hard to become independent, to build a life I was proud of.

“Now I feel like I’m watching it all slip away.

“This isn’t how I saw my life turning out. I had so many plans, so many dreams, and now I’m just trying to make it through each day. And it’s getting harder.”;

Taylor is receiving BrECADD, the strongest chemotherapy available for her cancer and one which only completed trials last year.

“The severe pain, nausea, exhaustion – it never ends,” she says. “The side effects have been brutal, landing me in the hospital multiple times.

“At my worst, I lost the ability to speak, walk, or even take care of myself. Recovery is slow, but I’m seeing small improvements.”;

She says that she is at breaking points – physically, mentally, and financially.

“I hate asking for help,” she admits. “I’ve always tried to handle things on my own. But sometimes, no matter how strong we try to be, we can’t do it alone.”

Desperate to continue her fight, Taylor has set up a GoFundMe campaign to get financial support.

“So here I am. Vulnerable. Hopeful. And asking, with everything in me, for support,” she says. “If you can, please help me keep fighting.”

Taylor is also sharing her journey on TikTok, where she gives raw, unfiltered updates on her condition.

“Cancer takes so much from you, but I won’t let it take my voice,” she says.

“If my story helps even one person recognise the warning signs earlier, then at least something good can come from this.

“I don’t know what the future holds. But I do know I’m not giving up without a fight.”