The 25-year-old, who said she was “laughed at” by her GP when she suggested she might have cancer, later discovered she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and credits the support and cooperation of her partner with helping her survive six “most intensive” rounds of chemotherapy.

Kelly Underwood, an educator in Birmingham, said she first suffered from fatigue, eye pain and a rash on her knuckles in February 2025.

By June, she noticed a lump in her neck and her partner Olivia Reid, 28, suggested she seek medical advice.

She said her GP had seen swollen lymph nodes but could not explain the cause, and suggested Kelly be monitored for a week and return if her condition did not improve.

Over the next three months, Ms Kelly said she went “back and forth” to GP surgeries a total of six times, with a series of medical professionals unable to diagnose her condition.

Frustrated, Kelly said she went to an appointment with her mother and her mother asked her, “How many times does your mother have to come to you before you do something?”

Eventually, she got a call from her doctor who told her that her blood test results from the past five years seemed to be showing abnormalities, including iron deficiency and elevated inflammatory markers, and that’s when her doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment.

That’s when Kelly and Olivia searched for these symptoms on Google, prompting them to ask their doctor if it might be cancer.

Kelly told PA Real Life: “They laughed at us and said it couldn’t be cancer, so I was actually relieved. After that appointment, I thought I might as well believe them.”

Doctors ultimately ordered Kelly to undergo a biopsy, CT scan, and ultrasound. Kelly said her eyes were bloodshot, she felt more tired and the lump felt like it was growing.

A follow-up appointment was made on September 8th to discuss the results with the doctor.

Kelly brought Olivia in, but the doctor’s face fell when she revealed: “I’m so sorry, but you have cancer.”

“The first time she said that word, I thought maybe I didn’t hear it correctly,” Kelly said.

“I burst into tears.

“The next thing I remember, I was looking at Liv and I had never seen her cry like that.

“You know there are moments you’ll never forget?

“I wanted to know what the plan was, but all the doctors could tell me was that they didn’t have enough information.

“She couldn’t tell me what the treatment plan was or even if it was curable.

“So I was really upset after we left that appointment and thought I was going to die at 24.”

The next day, Olivia called her doctor for answers. They found out they had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but they didn’t know anything else.

Kelly said she waited 10 days in “panic” and was told “absolutely nothing”, but a follow-up examination confirmed it was classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a cancer that generally has a good prognosis) and because she was young and healthy, they were going to put her on the “most aggressive” treatment plan.

Doctors revealed they have also requested an emergency bed at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital because the lymph nodes can press on the patient’s windpipe and prevent him from breathing.

Olivia stayed by Kelly’s side as she waited for a call from the hospital to say her bed was ready.

It was then that Kelly made a last-minute plan for a daring romantic move.

Kelly said: “I didn’t want to propose when he had lost all his hair from cancer treatment and didn’t look anything like me.

“So I got the ring I bought long before I was diagnosed and told Liv to dress it up.

“Actually, I was planning to propose to her at the top of Kenilworth Castle, which we both love.

“But just as I was about to leave, I got a call saying my bed was ready.

“Instead, I had to write a quick speech on my phone and since we love coffee, I took her to the Costa drive-thru.

“We just did it there and we both cried in the car.”

After being admitted to hospital, Kelly was told she would undergo a “staged BEACOPDac.” This will begin at the end of September with 21 days of in-hospital chemotherapy, a filgrastim injection to stimulate the bone marrow to produce white blood cells, and six doses of steroids.

Kelly started losing her hair after the first round, suffered bone marrow pain and inability to move from the injections, and her mental health was on a “roller coaster.”

Olivia has been by Kerry’s side through it all, proposing again in October during a walk in Sutton Park, passing through a path with the words ‘Will you marry me?’

Kelly has been supported by Kathy, a youth support co-ordinator at Teenage Cancer Trust. Kathy was always just a phone call away, playing card games and talking about her favorite books to distract Kelly during chemotherapy treatments.

The charity supports people aged 13 to 24 who have been diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones.

Kelly has now completed her last round of chemotherapy as of January 14th.

Next, she will have a PET scan at the end of February to check for signs of cancer, and has an appointment scheduled for early March, which she hopes will be the moment all the symptoms become clear.

The couple had a low-key engagement with their families at a local pub and are looking forward to tying the knot within the next two years.

Reflecting on what he learned, Kelly said: “They tell you about the chest exam, but they don’t tell you about the neck exam.

“I also think people need to advocate for themselves with their doctors if they haven’t been properly referred.

“We all think it will never happen to us, but it could.”

For more information about Teenage Cancer Trust, please visit the following website: www.teenagecancertrust.org.