Mum's fight to survive after 'finding lumps'

A PLYMOUTH mum who thought her symptoms were nothing to be concerned about found herself facing cancer.

- KATIE OBORN

Having just got over a cold, the young woman assumed her neck lump was a swollen gland at first.

When Laura Barsley noticed a lump in her lower neck which a doctor also thought was a swollen gland - she assumed it would "settle down" in time. But a month later, while on holiday in Turkey, the 33-year-old noticed the lump had "become enlarged and much harder than before".

The neck lump was also "tender to touch" and at the time, Laura had also noticed itchy skin which seemed "worse at night". When she got back from Turkey, the 33-yearold made a GP appointment, after a "good feel" of Laura's neck the doctor referred her to oncology.

Laura said: "At this point I had a feeling something bad was wrong. I had only been home from the GP a few hours and got a call to arrange a hospital appointment for the following week. It felt like a very long week, and I spent it sick with worry.

"By the time I went along to my first hospital appointment, a few more lumps had appeared and due to the size of the lumps, they said they wanted me to have a core biopsy. I had to go home and return later that day for the procedure.

What was only a few hours felt like weeks, and I was terrified.

"While the team was taking the biopsy from my neck, I looked at the ultrasound screen and saw where the lumps were. I could see they were outlined in orange and from this moment I just knew it was cancer. The doctor remained positive and tried to reassure me, but my mind was wandering in all directions thinking my life was over." Laura got the results a week later in October 2023 and she felt "sick and anxious" when the day arrived.