In late November 2022, Letitia McFarlane, then a 25-year-old mother of two from Co. Leitrim became unwell while on a family holiday in Spain. “My face swelled up like mad. Doctors thought it was anaphylaxis and that I’d had an allergic reaction to something. They wanted to keep me in to run all sorts of test, but my travel insurance wouldn’t have covered that, so we said we’d get home and see what was going on.”
"I had gotten my lips filled two weeks before I went on holiday, so that was blamed on my face swelling up."
When she returned home, she presented to her GP who agreed her symptoms looked like an allergic reaction. “I had gotten my lips filled two weeks before I went on holiday, so that was blamed on my face swelling up. They put me on steroids from around early December, and as they tried to taper me off them, the swelling would just come back even worse. In mid-December, I also got a severe pain down my right side, so I went into the Emergency Department in Sligo Hospital. They done a chest x-ray but said they couldn’t see anything.”
In January 2023, she began to struggle to breathe. “I went to back to the ED again, and they suspected angioedema – the swelling of deep layers of skin caused by build up of fluid. I was referred to immunology in Galway for an appointment. Even though I was given a priority appointment, I was told it would be March by the time I was seen to. I rang and rang and pushed for an earlier appointment and I got one for the 26th of January.”
"I had to wait for all those results to come back, but the doctor told me he suspected lymphoma – a type of blood cancer. This was the absolute last thing I expected, and I can’t really describe how I felt at that moment receiving that news"
“When I got there, immunology referred me to Acute Medicine straight away and I was told they would need to keep me in run a series of tests. I wasn’t prepared at all for that and I needed to go home, get an overnight bag for a few days and sort childcare. I went back the next day and they ran all sorts of tests – done my bloods, a CT scan and a chest x-ray. I had to wait for all those results to come back, but the doctor told me he suspected lymphoma – a type of blood cancer. This was the absolute last thing I expected, and I can’t really describe how I felt at that moment receiving that news. Total shock doesn’t really cover it. I was put into a high dependency ward and awaited a biopsy.”
After a biopsy, Letitia received her formal diagnosis of Stage 2 Primary Mediastinal Large B Cell Lymphoma. “I was straight in for chemotherapy almost immediately. I ended up needing multiple rounds of chemo throughout 2023. The first one was really difficult. It went in 21-day cycles. I’d be in hospital for the whole week in Galway getting the chemo through a drip for 24 hours per day. Then I’d have two weeks off to recover. You’d really only be getting back on your feet by the time you had to go back in again and repeat the cycle.”
"After all that treatment, I finally got the news on 31 May 2024 that I was in remission. The relief and just the weight lifted when you get that good news."
This round of chemotherapy finished in May. Letitia would require another shorter burst of chemotherapy in June which lasted just three weeks and then at the end of August, she began a third round, this time lasting five days and again 24 hours through a drip. “After all the chemotherapy, following a scan in October, I was basically told all the different chemotherapies hadn’t worked – my tumour was now bigger than when we first started.”
Following the rounds of chemotherapy, Letitia went on to receive immunotherapy beginning late October 2023 and continuing to late November. She was then sent to St. James’s Hospital in Dublin in December for Car-T cell therapy, which began in January 2024. “It felt like the treatment was going according to plan and my medical team were happy with how I was responding. After all that treatment, I finally got the news on 31 May 2024 that I was in remission. The relief and just the weight lifted when you get that good news. It’s hard to describe.” Letitia will require quarterly check up scans over the next year and on a monthly basis, she is on immunoglobulin, which she takes at home through IV drip, to boost and repair her immune system.
"For me, cancer was just so far off the radar of what I thought could be wrong with me. I think young people need to be more empowered and aware to ask questions and push for tests if we don’t feel right."
Reflecting on her cancer experience, Letitia is hugely grateful for the support of her family and friends. “My life was turned upside down, but so was everybody else’s around me. They have all had to jump in and help with kids. My parents, my mum's partner, my grandparents have been amazing, my sisters, my children’s dad has been great – his granddad and his mum travelled up from Longford to help with the children alongside my family. It’s a been a whole of family effort to get through this and I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done.”
Letitia is sharing her story because she wants to raise awareness of cancer among young people and young adults. “For me, cancer was just so far off the radar of what I thought could be wrong with me. I think young people need to be more empowered and aware to ask questions and push for tests if we don’t feel right. My face was severely swollen and as soon as my doctors heard about the lip fillers, they just attributed what was going on with me to that. Thankfully, I kept pushing and asking more questions. I am so grateful to have gotten that earlier appointment in Galway, but I ask myself what if I hadn’t pushed? What if I just waited until March and things got worse? I think it so important to raise more awareness among young people of cancer, and while cancer is less common, it can still happen.”
Letitia's story is being shared to mark World Lymphoma Awareness Day. For more information on lymphoma, you can visit our website here: Lymphoma | Irish Cancer Society
For any questions or concerns relating to cancer, please don't hesitate to contact the Irish Cancer Society's Support Line at 1800 200 700 or email supportline@irishcancer.ie.
