A woman who woke up with night sweats and a sore neck which turned out to be cancer has revealed her battle and is now on track to become Miss Great Britain.
Seanagh McFarlane’s life changed overnight after discovering a pea-sized lump in her neck.
The 22-year-old thought she had just been “sleeping weird”.
But after seeing the doctor, she was diagnosed with cancer.
After going through chemotherapy and losing her hair in clumps, she’s not let it define her and now, she’s cancer-free.
She’s currently competing to become Miss Great Britain in a bid to remind young girls with illnesses that they’re still beautiful.
“I was absolutely distraught when my hair started falling out,” the student, from Dumbarton, Scotland, told Need To Know.
“Everything had been taken away from me and now a sense of my identity was gone, too.
“My heart sank – I looked so poorly.
“I didn’t feel beautiful at all.
“It was difficult to stop comparing myself to girls on social media that looked so glamourous.
“I really struggled with my confidence, however, I tried to make myself feel beautiful by wearing headscarves and doing my makeup.
“But it wasn’t the same.
“When you wear a head scarf or have a bald head, people look at you differently.
“I was unable to face looking at myself in the mirror, so I turned them all around as I didn’t want to watch the old me completely deteriorate.
“I began wearing wigs.
“But that didn’t change how broken I felt inside.
“I was in absolute turmoil.
“All I could think about was what if I was going to die.”
Seanagh was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
She said: “I remember waking up in excruciating pain, wondering what was going on with my neck.
“I just put on a heating pad and thought nothing of it.
“But then I realised how drenched in sweat my pillow and sheet was.
“When I looked in the mirror and spotted a small lump, my heart dropped.
“I told my grandad, a former doctor, and my mum, a nurse, and they both rushed me to the hospital.
“And the news I was dreading to hear came out of the doctor’s mouths.”
She began chemotherapy, but the physical toll of this hit her hard.
After six months, though, Seanagh was luckily in remission.
Despite all she had been through, she was determined not to give up and once her locks started to grow back, she launched her own charity.
Spirit2Strength supports women and girls dealing with hair loss.
But that wasn’t all – she wanted to do more.
She said: “I was scrolling through Instagram and kept getting adverts for the Miss Great Britain beauty pageant.
“I never pictured myself being someone who could compete in a pageant.
“But I wanted to show people going through similar to what I did that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I lost myself through my cancer diagnosis, but now I have myself back again, I would like to show that despite going through the worst time of my life, I remained positive.
“Now, I can be a role model for younger girls.
“It still affects me to this day, as I still feel overly tired and it’s impacted my ability to complete daily tasks, such as going to university and working.
“I’m also terrified my cancer will come back, too.
“But I’m blessed for the life lessons it has taught me.
Now, Seanagh is preparing to step on stage at the Glasgow regional heats of Miss Great Britain, the UK’s longest-running beauty pageant.
If she wins, she’ll go on to compete in the national final in October.
She added: “I want to show everyone that I haven’t let my setback with cancer rule my life.
“In fact, it’s inspired me to try everything and live life to the fullest.
“When I was going through treatment, I always wanted to dress up and feel glamorous – but I never thought that would be me.
“I lost all my confidence and couldn’t imagine ever having the courage to compete in a pageant, but now I’m finally confident in my own skin.
“It’s a long road, though I want others to know that things can and do get better.
“And cancer doesn’t stop you from being beautiful.”
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