‘Fit and healthy' gym fanatic, 22, with ‘anaemia' blamed back pain on sitting all day – it was sign of deadly cancer
It wasn't until months later, when she began coughing up blood, that her cancer was discovered.
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The 22-year-old first began to experience a sore neck and back and developed a chest infection in December 2024.
Shrugging off her symptoms at first, she continued to work out daily.
But when the business development manager's infection turned into a cough and she began to feel exhausted all the time, she went to the doctors to get herself checked out.
After having her bloods taken, Lara claims the GP put her exhaustion down to anaemia and said her back pain was due to sitting down all day at her new office job.
When her symptoms worsened, the events management and marketing graduate returned to her GP for a second opinion, but claims she was given a higher dosage of iron tablets for her "anaemia".
She also began drinking more coffee and taking vitamin D supplements - but nothing could shake her exhaustion.
It was only when she coughed up blood after developing another chest infection in March this year that she underwent an X-ray and emergency CT scan, which is when a mass was found in her chest.
Following keyhole surgery in June 2025, Lara was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
She is now raising awareness of her signs and symptoms to ensure other people push for a second or even third opinion if they feel unwell, as it could be something serious.
Lara, from Guildford in Surrey, said: "I felt like I was going crazy.
A fit and active 22-year-old put back pain and persistent tiredness down to starting a new office job - but they were the first signs of a killer cancer
"I knew there was something wrong with me, and I was just getting worse, but no one was hearing it.
"Now I'm having treatment and I have solutions and answers, I feel 10 times better than I did when I was ill and not knowing what it was.
"But no one prepares you to hear that you have cancer at 22."
Pushing for answers
Recalling her first symptoms, Lara said: "I felt so tired all the time, so I went to the doctors and they did my bloods and they put it down to anaemia.
"I asked about the back and neck pain, and they said as I'd started a new job and I sat down in a chair all day, it was probably to do with that.
"I went back two or three more times [to the GP] because my symptoms got worse.
"I've always been really fit and active and into sports, and at my new job, I'd sit down all day, so surely I wouldn't be getting that tired.
"I went back [to the GP] and they said I was fine and that I was still anaemic and they upped my dose in tablets.
"I went back to the doctors a third time as I started to get really dizzy, and they told me it was down to the anaemia again.
Urgent CT scan
"I would walk 10 minutes up the road, and I'd be so exhausted from it, and I thought this isn't right.
"I tried taking electrolytes every morning and was having more coffee and taking supplements to give myself energy, and nothing was working.
"I booked an emergency doctor's appointment, and they booked me in for a chest X-ray, and they then wanted to book me in for an urgent CT scan as they found a big mass on my chest."
According to the NHS, Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.
It mostly affects people aged between 20 and 40, and common symptoms include night sweats, unexplained weight loss, itching and a persistent cough.
Alongside her cough, Lara said she also lost a lot of weight despite having to decrease her exercise routine due to her extreme exhaustion.
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She has now completed her second round of chemotherapy and only has one cycle left before she hopefully will enter remission.
Lara says: "I started going to the gym less as I was too exhausted to go. I'd normally go four or five times a week, and then I went down to once a week.
"There was a period of two months when I didn't go at all, and I was losing weight, and I thought this isn't right.
"If I was going on the leg machine, I would lift 110kg, and this went down to 50kg."
'Trust your gut'
Lara is now raising awareness about her diagnosis to ensure others get themselves checked out if they feel something isn't right.
Lara says: "I would say keep pushing if you think something is wrong with you.
"I should have just trusted my gut instincts more, as you know in your gut how you're feeling."
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 persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness
Persistent itching of the skin all over the body
Source: Cancer Research UK and the NHS.
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