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’.
Taylor’s life was turned upside down when, in July 2024, an electrical fire tore through her home, reducing everything she owned to ashes.
“My home, my memories, my sense of security… gone in an instant,” she says.
“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 symptomsas 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 coughthat 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 lumpappeared 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 GoFundMecampaign 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.”
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
HODGKIN lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes.
It is not common, with around 2,100 people diagnosed every year in the UK.
Hodgkin lymphoma can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75. Slightly more men than women are affected.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on the other hand, is diagnosed in 13,000 new patients per year. It is more common as you get older, with over a third of cases diagnosed in people over the age of 75.
In Hodgkin lymphoma, B-lymphocytes (a particular type of lymphocyte) start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands).
The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, making a person more vulnerable to infection.
Like all cancers, symptoms vary and can be vague. However, patients usually notice swelling in one or more lymph nodes.
This can be in any area of the body, but is often in the neck, armpit or groin.
The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
Some people with Hodgkin lymphoma also have other more general symptoms. These can include:
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight loss
- A high temperature (fever)
- A persistentcoughor feeling ofbreathlessness
- Persistent itching of the skin all over the body
Source:Cancer Research UKandthe NHS.
