A woman has shared her harrowing ordeal after waking up one morning with her eye bulging out of its socket – now she’s been left partially blind.
Mphango Simwaka was initially told her swollen left eye was a simple stye.
But the truth was much worse.
The 24-year-old, from Bradford, was left horrified when waking up the following day, unable to see, and her eye bulging out.
READ MORE: ‘My children’s laughter feels like TORTURE – I wouldn’t wish this condition upon my worst enemy’
“I was absolutely mortified,” the former associate consultant told Need To Know.
“One of my friends kept telling me: ‘It looks like your eye’s going to pop out.’
“It didn’t hurt or anything, but I felt like something was pressing against it.
“The pressure was unbearable.
“I just remember looking in the mirror and gasping in sheer horror at the way it looked.
“I really thought I was going to go blind, if not, lose my life.”
Mphango’s nightmare began in November 2022, while she was in the process of moving.
While already stressed, the initial swelling of her eye raised alarm bells, despite it not being noticeable.
She claims that at the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) hospital, no tests or scans were done, with a doctor suggesting it was a stye and to use a hot compress and to come back if it got any worse.
For a second opinion, Mphango saw an optician, who confirmed her eye socket was inflamed and prescribed eye lubricant, before another doctor at the BRI told her it was conjunctivitis.
Knowing it wasn’t something simple, she went back to A&E at Croydon University Hospital and was later referred to an eye hospital, St George’s Moorfields, where it was confirmed that she had an aggressive tumour.
She said: “Each time they gave me a new diagnosis, I felt defeated.
“I knew it was something that needed to be properly looked at.
“The final doctor took one look at my eye and was completely mortified.
“Things quickly escalated and I was sent for tests, which showed I had an abnormal white blood cell count, but the cause was unknown.
“I was then transferred to an eye hospital, where more tests, including a CT scan were carried out.
“The real nightmare then began.”
A mass was spotted in front of her brain, which was pressing against her optic nerve and causing her eye to bulge outwards.
She had a biopsy quickly taken and eventually, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.
While devastated, and with swift treatment her only chance of survival, Mphango had to quickly think about her future.
In case of early menopause, she preserved her eggs and then underwent intense radiotherapy, as well as four cycles of chemotherapy.
In January 2023, despite numerous life-threatening infections, she was given the all-clear.
While happy to have her life back, the 24-year-old has been left partially blind and with a drooping eye.
Now, she hopes to share her story to raise awareness and for people to push doctors if they feel something isn’t right – as it could be a matter of life or death.
She added: “I still think about how bad it could have been.
“I wonder if without all the delays things might have been different.
“It was quite shocking being diagnosed with cancer so young, but I’m glad I finally got an answer before it was too late.
“Always trust your gut instincts, keep persisting and never take no for an answer.”
Jam Press has contacted the Bradford Royal Infirmary for comment.
A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very sorry to hear about Ms Simwaka.
“Unfortunately, the Trust cannot breach patient confidentiality and comment on individual cases but if she would like to formally raise her concerns with the Trust, we will be more than happy to look into them for her.”
READ MORE: Woman who was in horror rollercoaster accident that left one dead learns to walk again
