A woman has revealed the worryingly innocuous sign she had a rare blood cancer.
Jessica Hamersley, from Essex, thought little of a red splotch on her left shin that kept reappearing over the course of a year.
The 27-year-old, who dismissed it as eczema, assumed it was merely irritated by her perfumed moisturiser and would disappear on its own.
It was only after her fiancé urged her to get it checked out, fearing it may be related to her contraceptive pill, that she sought medical advice.
When a second pill failed to get rid of the rash she was referred for an X-ray in October 2023, which revealed the truth was far more serious — she had a mass on her chest.
Jessica Hamersley, from Essex, thought little of a red splotch on her left shin that kept reappearing over the course of a year
The 27-year-old, who dismissed it as eczema, assumed it was merely irritated by her perfumed moisturiser and would disappear on its own
It was only after her fiancé urged her to get it checked out, fearing it may be related to her contraceptive pill, that she sought medical advice
Subsequent biopsies in February found Ms Hamersley had Hodgkin lymphoma — a rare cancer that starts in the white blood cells — and she began chemotherapy.
A PET scan in March also showed the mass on her chest was more than seven inches in size and had been ‘crushing’ her heart.
Recalling her terrifying ordeal, Ms Hamersley said: ‘I sometimes use perfumed moisturiser and sometimes with eczema that can cause my skin to have a little bit of a flare up. Honestly at the time I didn’t think anything serious of it.
‘I thought maybe it was a flare up on my leg or I caught myself when I was shaving. You never think cancer.
‘A rash on my leg literally saved my life.
‘I don’t smoke, I only drink really rarely when I go out. So I was thinking, I’m perfectly healthy, why would I get cancer?
‘I had no cough, when I saw the chest x-rays I thought oh my god that was sitting on my chest but I felt fine. It’s really strange.
‘I was so healthy. I actually feel more unwell from the chemo than I did before. I felt completely healthy with all the tumours.
‘I even remember when I went to the x-ray room I said to the radiologist, “this is really dramatic, I’m sorry for wasting your time”.
‘Usually with hodgkin lymphoma you can get loads of other symptoms. I had nothing.’
Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when infection-fighting white blood cells called B-lymphocytes multiply in an abnormal way and collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system.
This can cause a painless swelling in a lymph node — usually in the neck, armpit or groin.
Other symptoms include a persistent cough, a fever, night sweats and weight loss.
Around 2,600 people in the UK are diagnosed each year, meaning it accounts for fewer than 1 per cent of cancers. In the US, 8,800 cases are spotted annually.
According to Cancer Research UK, almost 85 per cent of those with the cancer will survive for five years or more after diagnosis.
When a second pill failed to get rid of the rash she was referred for an x-ray in October 2023, which revealed the truth was far more serious — she had a mass on her chest. Pictured, Ms Hamersley with fiancé William Webber during treatment
Subsequent biopsies in February found Ms Hamersley had Hodgkin lymphoma — a rare cancer that starts in the white blood cells — and she began chemotherapy. Pictured, with the rash on her leg before her diagnosis
Ms Hamersley was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin’s lymphoma, meaning the lymphoma was in two or more groups of lymph nodes but there were no typical symptoms.
She also claimed her consultant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital told her the rash on her leg was erythema nodosum, a condition that causes fat tissue to be inflamed.
It usually goes away by itself but can sometimes be a sign of something serious like an inflammatory bowel condition, such as Crohn’s disease, according to the NHS.
The skin usually heals on its own within 3 to 8 weeks without leaving a scar. But other symptoms, such as joint pain and swelling, can last for several weeks.
Ms Hamersley said: ‘When I spoke to the consultant about it [the rash] he said it’s a really weird way of your body telling you there’s something wrong inside.
‘I thought maybe it was triggered with stress.. But they said it [the mass] was crushing my heart.
‘It was all crazy. I just froze really. I was with my partner and I feel like I zoned out, I wasn’t really listening.
‘The whole time they were doing tests they said the worst possibility is cancer so my brain never went there.
Ms Hamersley was diagnosed with stage 2A Hodgkin’s lymphoma, meaning the lymphoma was in two or more groups of lymph nodes but there were no typical symptoms. Pictured, during her treatment
She also claimed her consultant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital told her the rash on her leg was erythema nodosum, a condition that causes fat tissue to be inflamed. Pictured, during her treatment
‘I thought they had the wrong scan.’
She added: ‘I cried when I was told I was going to lose my hair. Now it’s growing back so it doesn’t phase me as much, I’m used to it.
‘But you just kind of go into fight or flight mode and it was just survival. It was just “what’s next? What do we do?”‘
After beginning an aggressive course of chemotherapy in the Spring, in August she was thankfully declared cancer free.
‘It happened so quickly. But my consultant said that if you lose your hair quickly it’s a very good sign that the chemo is working,’ Ms Hamersley said.
‘I looked horrible being bald but that’s what I was clinging to. I was like “oh my god it must be working then”.’
To celebrate being cancer free, she is now going on holiday to Disneyworld Orlando with her fiancé, William Webber.
She said: ‘That weight just lifted off of me and all of my family’s shoulders.
‘[Mr Webber] He’s just been amazing. He’s been my rock through it all.
‘All through chemo all we ever spoke about was how much of a good time it would be if we went to Disney together.
To celebrate being cancer free, she is now going on holiday to Disneyworld Orlando with her fiancé, William Webber
Ms Hamersley, who was working in customer service before her diagnosis, is now recovering from her treatment and building her stamina back up before going back to work. Pictured, celebrating after learning she was cancer free
‘I’m going to go celebrate in the happiest place on earth.
‘I’m still very out of breath and I feel like my joints are still very weak because I got arthritis from the chemotherapy in my hips and spine.
‘I’m just so glad it was caught early and the treatment was less than it would have been. I’m very grateful to that GP.’
Ms Hamersley, who was working in customer service before her diagnosis, is now recovering from her treatment and building her stamina back up before going back to work.
She will still need to have follow-up scans and blood tests every few months to check the cancer has not returned.
Now, she is urging anyone concerned by their unusual symptoms to seek medical assistance as soon as possible.
‘Life is so short and you don’t realise that until something like this happens,’ she added.
‘You’re never promised tomorrow and that’s such a big quote that sits in my head now.
‘Cancer completely changes your perspective on life. I used to get angry if someone cut me up when I was driving and now I’m just thinking let it go.
‘I just let everything go now. It’s never that deep now, it’s never that important anymore.’