I’m 32 years old with stage 4 cancer – this is the only mistake I made three years ago

A Canadian woman with stage 4 cancer says she ignored the signs of the disease because she believed they were “eczema-related”.

Taylor Deanne Roy, 32, experienced extreme fatigue and itchy skin for years before doctors made a devastating diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last month.

“I struggled for three years with itchy skin that was diagnosed as follicular eczema,” Roy, who hails from Edmonton, Alberta, told NeedToKnow.

Roy dismissed the other symptoms that subsequently developed, falsely believing they were related to her skin condition. She also admits that she failed to be pushy with doctors who did not accept her.

“For two years I had become extremely tired and out of shape, but I thought it was just part of being older,” she admitted. “[Then] I started getting random pains that I blamed on myself.”

Finally, in September, after discovering a large lump in her neck, she visited a doctor for an ultrasound.

“On October 2 this year, less than two months after finding the lump, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that had spread to my lungs and bones in my spine,” Roy said emotionally.

“The moment they told me I had cancer, it was like the whole world stopped around me,” continued the Canadian. “I felt like nothing was real for a few minutes.”

Roy is now undergoing treatment and experiences “severe pain, nausea and exhaustion” and some days he struggles to get out of bed.

“My body is a stranger, betraying me in ways I never thought possible,” she said. “Simple tasks that I used to do without thinking are now sometimes almost impossible.”

“The hardest part is the feeling of losing yourself – losing the independence I worked so hard to build.”

Roy hopes to beat the disease, saying she is in the “fight of her life”.

And despite the daily struggles of treatment, the inspirational Canadian is now using her TikTok account to share her story and raise awareness.

In a post about symptoms she ignored, she said she wished she’d mentioned them to her doctor sooner.

“I think the most I can do with my circumstances is spread enough awareness to people to stand up for themselves and not give up when doctors don’t listen,” she said.

“If I had been more pushy with the doctors, I wouldn’t be at stage 4 now.”