Woman, 22, given very rare diagnosis after finding lump on neck
A young and active Melbourne woman is pleading with others not to “be naive” after she was diagnosed with an incredibly rare cancerous tumour in her neck.
Kloe Jordan-Wilson, 22, spotted the lump earlier last year after losing a weight prior to her sister’s wedding.
Not believing it was anything to be too concerned about, Kloe had a blood test done but it came back normal so she “didn’t think much of it”.
“It wasn’t sore or giving me any problems,” she told Yahoo News Australia.
“I was still at footy training and working every day.
“Life was normal.”
However, her mum urged her to get the lump checked out after she showed it to her in November.
“I went to my local GP and he had a feel and said because it was firm he was a bit concerned, but given my age, health and lifestyle, he wasn’t concerned that it would be anything bad,” Kloe said.
She underwent another blood test, that also came back normal, before seeing a specialist, who also didn’t seem too worried considering her young age.
Daughter's harrowing post after dad dies from 'silent killer'
Little girl's inspiring battle for baby sister she never met
Awful news sparks 'black out'
The specialist performed a biopsy to make sure and it revealed that the lump had cancerous cells.
Upon hearing the news, Kloe said she “blacked out” and doesn’t remember anything else after the word cancer.
Still unsure of what type it was, the lump was removed on December 23 so doctors could further investigate.
It wasn’t until the lump was sent to a specialist in the US that Kloe was officially diagnosed with Adamantinoma-Like Ewing Sarcom, a rare variant of Ewing sarcoma - cancer of the soft tissue around bones or bones themselves.
“It was good to finally have an answer but with it being so rare and taking so long to be diagnosed… it was really not a fun time for me,” Kloe said.
The 22-year-old started chemotherapy two weeks ago and will undergo treatment every two weeks for the next six to nine months.
“Because of the type of growth, it can easily spread and seed so I need an intense bout of chemo to make sure that it isn’t anywhere else in my body,” she said.
Doctors 'treating to cure'
Kloe said doctors are “treating to cure” and that it is really “important to maintain focus on the good parts rather than the bad.”
Because of the chemotherapy, Kloe needs constant help and is unable to work.
Her partner Francis has taken time off from his job to be her carer, prompting her family to help out the couple and create a GoFundMe fundraiser so they can focus on her recovery.
The 22-year-old said she never believed she would be diagnosed with cancer at such a young age and is warning others that it can “happen to anyone”.
“Don’t be naive. If something comes up, if there’s a spot or a lump or you don’t feel right, get it checked out because you can never be too sure,” she said.
“As much as it sucks, it really opened my eyes.”
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
