What is Hodgkin’s Lymphoma? Melbourne student diagnosed with cancer at 19 names symptoms
Marnie Wills was two months into her dream nursing education before her world was turned upside down.
The ‘fit and healthy’ student from Melbourne was just 19 when she was diagnosed with stage three cancer in April 2020.
Now 21, Marnie told FEMAIL she’d been a dancer all her life, working out three times a week and feeling as healthy as she’d ever been.
“I had itchy skin for years with no signs of a rash and saw several skin specialists who all thought it was dermatitis. Six to eight months before diagnosis, I was having night sweats, but I didn’t think about it,” Marnie said.
Little did she know that the two “vague” symptoms were signs of undetected tumors in her chest and abdomen. They were later found to be nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma (NSHL), the most common type of the disease.
In college, she had to undergo a blood test before placement, which thankfully led to the diagnosis.
“Doctors said if I hadn’t had a blood test when I did, there would have been a chance I’d be gone in 12 months,” she said.
Marnie Wills was diagnosed with stage three nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma in April 2020. She was 19 at the time and had just started college (pictured before her diagnosis)
In college, she needed a blood test for a placement, which coincidentally led to the diagnosis. “Doctors said if I hadn’t had a blood test when I did, there would have been a chance I’d be gone in 12 months,” she said.
Two days after the blood test, the GP called Marnie to say the result was ‘unusual’ and she was sent to the emergency department.
“They thought I was having a heart attack based on the results. Then they did a chest X-ray and a heart scan and I lit up like a Christmas tree.’
The scans discovered small tumors all over Marnie’s body, especially in her chest and abdomen. At the time, the doctors weren’t sure if there was cancer or not, so she was sent to a surgeon for a biopsy at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center.
The results later confirmed she had Hodgkin lymphoma.
“It was just luck that I got diagnosed because we never really thought about my symptoms. I should have gone to the doctor sooner, but being so young I never thought it would be anything serious,” she said.
The tumors growing in Marnie’s chest and abdomen are visible on this x-ray
As it was a known type of illness, doctors assured Marnie it was treatable.
However, being stage three, the cancer was serious and if it had lasted longer it might have grown elsewhere in the body.
Surprisingly, despite where the tumors were, Marnie was in no pain.
She also has no family history of cancer and says her case was just “bad luck” as the cause is unknown.
‘I had finished school and just started uni then it all went downhill pretty quickly. I had never heard of the type of cancer either,” Marnie said.
‘As soon as I heard the word ‘cancer’, my brain switched off. Everything went in one ear and out the other. I went into a frozen state. I didn’t know how to feel or what to think.’
“It was just luck that I got diagnosed because we never really thought about my symptoms. I should have gone to the doctor sooner, but being so young I never thought it would be anything serious,” said Marnie (pictured with her fiancé Bailey before her diagnosis)
In a quick turnaround, Marnie began treatment within three days and received her first round of chemotherapy on Thursday.
“I was definitely the youngest in the chemo department. Everyone else looked like over 65s. It was so strange to be there and I’ve never seen another young person come in,” she said.
She had to be treated for nine months and during the process she lost her hair, developed shingles from an infection and developed mouth ulcers that got so bad she couldn’t drink water. She also felt nauseous all the time.
Surgeons couldn’t physically remove the large tumor in her chest because it was too close to her heart and lungs.
Fortunately, the treatment worked exceptionally well in reducing the tumors, and now she has only one left.
After receiving the life-changing news, she first postponed her nursing degree and then dropped out.
Marnie now works in administration and has no plans to return to her studies as she does not want to work in a hospital.
In a quick turnaround, she began her first round of chemotherapy three days after being diagnosed at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center. On reflection, Marnie said the hardest part of the whole experience was watching her friends go on with their lives while she spent months in the hospital.
She has been in remission for two years now, but is checked annually to make sure the cancer has not returned (pictured recently)
Marnie said the hardest part of the whole experience was watching her friends go on with their lives while she spent months in the hospital.
“Scrolling through social media and watching others live normal lives…I think you just have to do your best not to compare,” she said.
“It was hard to see how much of an impact it had on my family as well. I have a close relationship with my immediate family. It was Covid time, so I wasn’t allowed to visit the hospital and I wasn’t allowed to take anyone with me.’
From this she found an unknown inner strength she didn’t know she had, and she endured the terrifying ordeal with a positive attitude.
“It all happened so fast that it didn’t really sink in until after I was done with treatment,” she said, adding, “I think I went into fight-or-flight mode and did what I had to do.” Besides, I had to be strong for everyone.
“With every treatment I thought I was one step closer to the finish.”
Now she has a newfound appreciation for life and doesn’t take anything for granted. She also has annual checkups to make sure the cancer doesn’t come back.
For more information on Hodgkin lymphoma and other blood cancers, visit Lymphoma Australia or the Australian Cancer Council.