Mother, 22, told she just had tonsillitis correctly diagnoses HERSELF with leukaemia by using Google

A mother who was diagnosed with tonsillitis by her primary care doctor eventually diagnosed herself with leukemia – with the help of Dr. Google.

Chloe-Leigh Todd, 22, from Gateshead, sought advice in March 2020 after being ill for a month with a sore throat. In addition, she also claims to have been affected by bouts of vomiting, night sweats and weight loss.

But her doctor simply attributed her numerous symptoms to tonsillitis, according to Miss Todd.

Adamant that her diagnosis was wrong, Miss Todd began Googling her symptoms.

Recalling her ordeal, the stay-at-home mom said, “Everyone knows their own body and I just knew it was something serious.

‘The doctors attributed it to other things – but I was convinced they were wrong.

“I googled my symptoms, night sweats, fatigue, bruises and so on, and leukemia came up as the first search result.”

Concerned about her findings, Miss Todd had a face-to-face appointment in June where she went for a blood test.

Her results came back abnormal and doctors soon confirmed that her self-diagnosis was correct.

Medics even claimed she was only “weeks away from death,” Miss Todd said.

She began treatment at Newcastle Freeman Hospital the next day and eventually underwent six grueling rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.

Now Miss Todd has been cancer free for two years.

Miss Todd recalled the exact moment she was diagnosed and said, ‘When the doctor confirmed it, I thought I was going to die.

“I was happy with the diagnosis, but I became numb, it’s a big difference to hear it.

“The doctors told my mother in another room that she was breaking down – I could hear my mother screaming.”

She added: “The cancer was all over my blood. Doctors told me they didn’t know if chemotherapy would help, but they wanted to try it.

“Hardest of all, I thought maybe I wouldn’t be here to see my son grow up.”

In September 2020, Miss Todd was placed on the Anthony Nolan Registry looking for a bone marrow donor.

The hospital immediately found a 100 percent match in a 27-year-old man and she underwent the transplant in October 2020.

The bone marrow transplant is done by transferring stem cells from a healthy person to replace the damaged blood cells.

After a successful surgery, Miss Todd underwent another bone marrow biopsy to make sure her new cells had worked – she was later given the news that she was cancer free.

She said, “When I heard the news, I picked up my son and hugged him so tight.

“It was great to know it was all over, it was the best day ever.

‘I rang the bell in March 2021, it’s a great feeling. I had my son in my arms.’

Despite overcoming her years-long battle with leukemia, she now faces problems following her bone marrow transplant, known as Graft vs Host disease.

This happens when certain types of white blood cells in the donated stem cells or bone marrow attack your own body cells.

But she still remains positive and thankful for her transplant.

She said, “No matter what I’m going through, I’m always positive and have a smile on my face. No matter how sick I am, I will put my child first.

‘I spoke to my donor in March 2023, I had butterflies in my stomach.

“We were talking like we’ve known each other my whole life. We have a connection that no one will be able to understand.

“We will always have that bond, thanks to him I am still here.

“I feel so thankful and thankful. I’d rather go through this than not be here at all.

“It’s a bittersweet situation – I live to tell my story.”