A mum has been left devastated after her 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with stage three cancer – after her seemingly-innocent symptoms were initially thought to be a viral infection.
Natalie Bloxham, 34, from Staffordshire, knew something was wrong with her daughter Imogen after she spotted unusual lumps in her neck towards the end of 2021.
In February 2022, doctors advised Natalie that Imogen could have a viral infection and that she should wait three weeks to see if the lumps went down.
Imogen was also suffering from fatigue, night sweats and itchy skin.
“She was grey and lethargic and whilst waiting on biopsy for a skin condition, I noticed she had swollen lymph nodes and her skin was itchy,” Natalie told NeedToKnow.online.
“I called my GP who advised she could have a viral infection and was told to wait three weeks as children do get swollen lymph nodes when they have infections.”
But during this time, Imogen also caught Covid, which led doctors to believe this was causing her lymph nodes to swell – so they advised Natalie to wait a further three weeks.
After the lumps in Imogen’s neck failed to go down, doctors told her that she would need further testing in hospital, but that it could take up to three months to be referred.
With no indication that Imogen’s condition could have been cancer, Natalie took her away on a holiday to Greece to try and cheer her up.
However, after getting back to the UK, Imogen developed jaundice (which is a symptom of the cancer) and a high temperature, which resulted in a rush to hospital.
In June 2022, Imogen went for a biopsy and had a central line fitted.
Scans found that she had numerous tumours in her neck, spleen, groin and most concerning, around her heart, which was restricting blood and oxygen from being pumped around her body.
Imogen was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin lymphoma.
Natalie said: “When Imogen got her diagnosis, I had already prepared myself – as a mother I knew deep down something was wrong.
“Imogen didn’t show any emotion about her diagnosis, she has been so strong through the whole situation.
“I have been anxious and stressed since February as I’ve tried to push for her to be seen properly but it was just a long process to get where we needed to be.
“When she was diagnosed, I got very emotional as did the whole family, my main fears were having to see her lose her hair and fertility issues.
“I was angry and so upset, if she had been seen in February, she could have been a stage one cancer patient.
“She needed a blood transfusion as she was extremely sick.
“The tumours around her heart were restricting it from beating and also crushing her oesophagus, she had also turned yellow and had jaundice.”
Imogen is currently going through two rounds of chemotherapy and will need to have PET scan to determine whether or not she will need radiotherapy.
However, Imogen’s consultant has warned of the risks of radiotherapy as it could cause further damage to her heart, which is currently being restricted by tumours.
Imogen will also be having fertility treatment to try and preserve some of her eggs.
Since the diagnosis, Natalie has had to leave her job to become Imogen’s full-time carer, while her daughter now suffers from panic attacks and struggles to sleep.
Natalie said: “Mentally I question why it has to happen to my child. My side of Imogen’s family has a lot of cancer and I recently lost a family member in May to leukaemia.
“However, as Imogen shows me strength and determination, it makes me feel stronger.”
Despite the challenging treatment Imogen is having to undergo, Natalie says her daughter is doing “amazing”.
She added: “Imogen is just incredible. She was dramatically losing her hair so she made the decision to shave it all off.
“She’s too self-conscious to go back to school at the moment and doesn’t want everyone to make a fuss and the fact she has no hair is a sensitive point for her.
“We’ve been to the cinema a few times to occupy our time, been out for dinners as Imogen’s appetite is amazing right now.”
Natalie has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to send Imogen on a “once in a lifetime” trip to Disney Land Florida.
She has been overwhelmed with the response, with the fundraiser already garnering £5,500 in donations.
Natalie said: “It’s just amazing how kind and thoughtful everyone can be.
“When times are hard for people, they still go out their way to donate which shows me how amazing some people truly are.
“As her mother all I want is to put a smile on her face and going to America will do that for sure.
“Every donation will go towards this trip for Imogen.”
Imogen is currently at Birmingham Children’s Hospital waiting on a plan to start her very intense chemotherapy.
The brave girl will be in hospital for at least a month depending on her treatment and risks of infection.
Her mother Natalie is staying with her, and wants to thank the staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for all the work they have done to help Imogen.
She said: “We truly are in the right hands and I’ll be forever grateful to every consultant & nurse who has been so lovely to us.”
