Six-year-old's Growing Pains Diagnosed As Blood Cancer; Know The Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

A six-year-old's limp, initially dismissed by doctors as “growing pains,” was shockingly diagnosed as blood cancer. For Dorset resident Meredith, who lives with her mom, dad, and elder brother, she was termed a “tenacious” and “joyful” chilHowever, when she began limping, her parents thought it could be due to some injury, and in the hospital, doctors said she could be experiencing “growing pains in her knee". Meredith was sent to a physiotherapy session, but they could not find a cause of her pain, so her symptoms were left undiagnosed.

In the next two months, Meredith developed a lump on her forehead, which started to grow "exponentially." She then underwent an MRI scan, which found cancer was “everywhere"—from" her skull and neck to her stomach and leg.

Meredith was then diagnosed with blood cancer or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She took extensive chemotherapy treatment on what was supposed to be her first week of school, but she is responding well, and Kate said she's remaining positive and “playful” despite her situation. “Growing pains shouldn’t be taken lightly in children; it shouldn’t be dismissed and overlooked,” her mother Kate told The Sun.

Kate added the cancer was also present in Meredith’s sinuses, skull, stomach, and the lymph nodes in her neck, saying it was "everywhere.”.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or NHL, is a group of blood cancers that develop in your lymphatic system. It is one of two types of lymphoma—cancers that start in white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are important immune system cells that help fight off infections.

With non-Hodgkin lymphoma, genes inside B lymphocytes or T lymphocytes begin to mutate, or change, at some point in your lifetime. The abnormal lymphoma cells usually form in your lymph nodes and then form tumours. According to experts, without treatment, non-Hodgkin lymphoma can spread. People with non-Hodgkin lymphoma are living longer than ever, thanks to new treatments. In some cases, treatments even cure the condition.

Doctors say the most common symptom of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is painless swelling in your neck, armpits, or groin—a sign of swollen lymph nodes in those areas. Other symptoms depend on where the lymphoma cells are, along with:

• Persistent fatigue and tiredness
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Breathlessness
• Abdominal fat and swelling
• Feeling fuller than usual
• Unexplained fever
• Drenching night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss

It is important to remember that many conditions share these symptoms, so having one or two of these does not necessarily mean you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Still, it is a great idea to contact your doctor anytime you notice changes in your body that last for several weeks.

Experts say there are several risk factors linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which include:

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