A mother-of-two who thought she had tonsillitis and a stubborn “daycare bug” was diagnosed with blood cancer aged just 31 – and again five years later.
Lauren Woodfield, of sydneywas diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of blood cancer – in 2015 shortly after finding a lump on the right side of his collarbone.
After seeing a new doctor who thought she was suffering from glandular fever, she noticed the grape-sized lump and went to her regular GP for tests.
“I was pretty naive about the whole experience,” Lauren, now 38, told FEMAIL.
She was given a heavy dose of antibiotics before seeing an oncologist for further tests – and finally received the shocking news.
Lauren Woodfield, from Sydney, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of blood cancer – in 2015 shortly after finding a lump on the right side of her collarbone.
“I was pretty naive about the whole experience,” Lauren, now 38, told FEMAIL
But rather than being called to the doctor, a receptionist broke the terrible news to Lauren, leaving her with more questions than answers at the time.
“It was crazy; I went to see one of the other girls in the office [at work] and I told her they thought I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma — and her face just fell off,” Lauren said.
“She said to me, ‘I think you should go home,’ and I was kind of oblivious.”
Before getting her results, she went to see another oncologist and Lauren didn’t understand the seriousness of the diagnosis until she was asked ‘the biggest question’ of her life.
Rather than being called to the doctor, a receptionist broke the terrible news to Lauren, leaving her with more questions than answers at the time.
After the surgical biopsy determined the type of cancer and its location, Lauren underwent a round of IVF before beginning six months of chemotherapy.
“The bombshell was when the doctor asked, ‘Have you finished your family? “, she recalls.
“At the time, this question burned more than the actual diagnosis. What kind of question is this?’
The doctor asked if Lauren was done having children, and at the time her eldest daughter Isla was only 15 months old.
‘I was like, ‘No, what do you mean? I had no idea,” she said.
The doctor explained that the required treatment was quite advanced and could lead to early menopause. IVF was therefore recommended for egg retrieval.
“That’s when it got very real, because I was still in the new mom phase,” she said.
Doctors opted against radiation treatment due to Lauren’s age and additional health risk factors
Lauren described the treatment as a “crazy time” as she and her husband Mitch rebuilt their home and lived with her parents.
After the surgical biopsy determined the type of cancer and its location, Lauren underwent a round of IVF before beginning six months of chemotherapy.
Lauren described the treatment as a ‘crazy time’ as she and her husband Mitch rebuilt their home and lived with her parents.
She said: “I guess it was like a blessing in disguise because it was the best distraction from whatever was going on.”
Doctors opted against radiation therapy due to Lauren’s age and additional health risk factors.
After treatment and after recovering from side effects like extreme fatigue, Lauren returned to work three days a week.
Doctors opted against radiation therapy due to Lauren’s age and additional health risk factors.
But a few years later in 2020, the unthinkable happened and Lauren relapsed. This time around Lauren only needed two months of ‘intense’ chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in late 2020
But a few years later, in 2020, the unthinkable happened during the pandemic.
“I had all these familiar feelings,” she said.
Towards the end of Sydney’s first lockdown, Lauren found another lump on the left side of her collarbone.
“I came back to my husband and said, ‘It’s back’ and I burst into tears,” she said.
With the hospital system overloaded with patients due to Covid, it took seven and a half weeks for an official diagnosis.
Unfortunately, a PET scan and X-ray confirmed that the cancer had returned.
This time around, Lauren only needed two months of “intense” chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in late 2020.
“The side effects were next level, it was nothing I had ever experienced,” she said, adding that she was extremely tired and her hair had started to thin.
At one point, while on the phone with a friend, Lauren lost her vocabulary and couldn’t speak, so the nurses rushed into the room and thought she was having a stroke.
Fortunately, an MRI found no bleeding in the brain and doctors believe the inability to speak was a side effect of harsh chemotherapy.
Also due to Covid, Lauren had to live away from home for three and a half months – which was extremely difficult for Lauren and Mitch.
Lauren is in remission again and has check-ups every three months.
Her health issues caused Lauren to reflect on her time traveling overseas with Mitch shortly after they met.
“We knew we had to get back to doing what we loved and having new adventures,” she said.
In March this year, Lauren and the family began their journey with a tour of the country and are currently in Bowen, Queensland.
At the moment, their eldest daughter is home-schooled and neither Lauren nor Mitch are working.
“Life changes but it is up to us to adapt to each twist. Keep making plans, keep dreaming, and just make changes to follow those dreams,” she said.
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