April Grierson is a 20-year-old make-up artist from Liverpool. She spent months believing that her skin was reacting to her washing powder brand and causing her itchiness. But after switching brands, nothing changed and her rash continued.
She shares her story on TikTok how her GP's shocking diagnosis months later was that she had blood cancer called Hodgkin's lymphoma.
April's chronic itching started in June last year and she did many things from changing her brand to sending her dog away but nothing changed. When she consulted with the GP, the doctor attributed it to scabies and she was finally prescribed creams and tablets.
Months after 'treating' the symptoms, she noticed a lump on her neck and was referred to a specialist.
The diagnosis was that April had blood cancer Hodgkin's lymphoma, stage 2.
Just days before finding out her diagnosis, April had been out with his boyfriend and even proposed.
She shared her journey on TikTok where it's been viewed 5.8 million times now.
The 20-year-old recalled, "I had this sense that something was wrong."
"I'd even told my mum I thought I had cancer but she put that down to me feeling so anxious," she revealed. "Turns out I was right and I'm so glad I kept going back to the doctors. I knew my own body."
"At first, I was trying to work out what I was allergic to. My skin itched day and night from my head to my feet. I was tearing at my skin."
"I couldn't sleep and I was making myself bleed, I was red raw."
"I couldn't get a face-to-face appointment because of Covid so I kept sending more pictures but the doctors said I had no rash or distinctive skin marks for them to make a diagnosis."
"In October I found a lump in my neck that grew quickly. Within three weeks I had an appointment at a specialist head and neck center."
"I was diagnosed with cancer that day after blood tests, CT scans and a biopsy showed I had blood cancer and it was a tumor on my neck."
April's now-fiance, Sean O'Flaherty, accompanied her to their every doctor appointment. The 23-year-old was immediately allowed in when she found out it was cancer. She shared, "I knew as soon as Sean was allowed in [that] it was cancer."
"I was so scared and just cried and cried. I couldn't believe I had to drive home and tell my parents I had cancer. I was devastated."
And even during all this, April was still able to find herself in worse situations. When she went to get her eggs frozen because chemotherapy has risks of affecting fertility, April had one of the worst cases of OHSS the state had ever seen.
She shares in a separate video how ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) was so debilitating she couldn't move nor keep food down for weeks. This is when the ovary is overstimulated and swells from fluids.
For two weeks, April had fluids in her lungs and even had to be moved to another hospital to get the treatment she needed. Doctors called her case as one of the most severe they had ever seen.
Just two days ago, April went through her second round of chemotherapy and is set for 10 more sessions.
She talks about the motivation behind her clips, "I'm raising awareness for everything I'm going through because I want people to know they know their body best."
"If my story helps one person to push for an appointment and listen to their body then I'll be glad."
@aprilgrierson2 My diagnosis timeline… #cancerdiagnosis #KindAndFree #hodgkinslymphoma #cancer #chemotherapy #cancerawareness #fyp #viral #lymphoma ♬ traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
