Texas Girl, 17, Thought She Had a Swollen Lymph Node from a Cold. It Turned Out to Be Cancer
Texas teen Makaila Chenier has shared how what she thought was a swollen lymph node from a lingering cold turned out to be cancer
The 17-year-old was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma earlier this year
'It was just a little lump ... It was very hard because it was like everything changed literally overnight," Mikaila told the outletA teen from Texas is opening up about the moment she found out what she thought was a lump from a lingering cold was actually cancer.
Makaila Chenier, 17, found a 'little lump' in her neck in January and thought it was a swollen lymph node, but after it 'got progressively bigger' and she had 'trouble breathing' when she was lying down, she ended visiting her doctor, according to Today.com.
She was referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor who told her to go to the emergency room, where she underwent a series of tests, including an ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan.
'There was definitely a sense of urgency that we picked up on very quickly in the appointments,' Mikaila's mom, Christina Chenier, told Today.com. 'We knew something wasn't quite right.'
It was there that doctors told Makaila they suspected she had lymphoma. 'Doctor said, 'It looks like it might be some sort of lymphoma,' ' Christina told the outlet. 'Hearing your kid may have cancer … it was a gut punch … All of a sudden we were playing a completely different game and everything was completely upside down.'
From the ER, Makaila was transferred to Texas Children's Hospital in downtown Houston where she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma the very next day, beginning her first round of chemotherapy just over a week after visiting the ER.
'It was very hard because it was like everything changed literally overnight,' Mikaila, who undergoes chemotherapy every two weeks, told the outlet. 'It was just a little lump.'
According to the Mayo Clinic, Lymphoma is 'a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of the body's germ-fighting and disease-fighting immune system. Lymphoma begins when healthy cells in the lymphatic system change and grow out of control.'
There are two types of lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma (formerly called Hodgkin disease) and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and symptoms include a fever, night sweats and 'painless swelling of lymph nodes in the belly, neck, armpits or groin.'
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Mikaila is now homeschooled and has had to miss special occasions like prom. However, there was one milestone the teen didn't want to miss out on. 'They let me do graduation because that's once in a lifetime,' she told the outlet.
She is expected to complete her treatment in August and plans to take a gap year before going to college.
'I've been staying really positive through it all and I've learned that really helps get through it because they say time flies when you're having fun,' Makaila said. 'I try to have as much fun as I can and make the best out of it, which has really helped.'
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