In the spring of 2020, 45-year-old Jaclyn Downs felt generally healthy, if overworked.
It was a particularly busy time in her work as a nutritionist and she exercised regularly – and intensively.
When she felt a pulling sensation under her armpit after a strenuous bike ride, she didn’t think much of it.
“It didn’t hurt while I was training hard,” the mother of two from Pennsylvania told DailyMail.com
“It lasted about five to ten minutes and then went away.” I thought it was a pulled muscle.
Mother-of-two Jaclyn Downs thought she had pulled a muscle during a strenuous bike ride. A crop the size of a grapefruit even grew near her breast
“Before the diagnosis I felt a little more tired than usual, but I am a working mother of two.
“I also wondered if it was my age or if the hormonal changes were affecting my sleep, as I sometimes felt a bit hot.”
But within a few months, the pain spread to the center of her chest. There was also another bizarre symptom: a small “squeezing sound” she heard when she exhaled.
Although she thought there was nothing to worry about as the noise quickly disappeared.
Of course she visited her doctor. The appointment was the start of a living nightmare in which she was faced with the prospect of leaving her young children – aged four and eight at the time – without a mother.
Although her blood work was normal, the doctor ordered a chest X-ray to make sure.
Jaclyn Downs thought nothing of the stabbing sensation in her chest after exercise, but scans revealed a large tumor had grown under her ribs
Jaclyn Downs was surprised at the size of the tumor that had grown in her breast, as her symptoms were minimal
The resulting images were far from what was expected: a cancerous tumor the size of a grapefruit had grown in her chest cavity and was eating away at her rib.
Jaclyn was diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma – a cancer of the immune system – in mid-July.
More than 18,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year, making it the most common form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
It happens when a type of white blood cell grows too quickly and abnormally, forming large clots and making patients acutely vulnerable to infection.
“It was a surprisingly large tumor for the minimal amount of symptoms I had — I think it was because it grew so quickly,” Jaclyn said.
Within two weeks, she underwent her first round of strong chemotherapy.
The nutritionist credits her healthy lifestyle – regular exercise and a nutritious diet – for her successful recovery
She said: “The tumor grew very quickly.” When I started chemotherapy in the first week of August, the tumor was so big that I had to walk around with a pillow under my arm – I could see it visually.
“It was a scary time because I have two small children and I didn’t know if they would have a mother.”
Specialists recommended five more rounds of chemotherapy to give Jaclyn the best chance of long-term recovery, but the drugs sent her into menopause at age 42.
“Fortunately, I had a very good medical team who gave me great support every three weeks during my chemotherapy.”
It took six rounds of chemotherapy to ensure that Jaclyn’s cancer cells were destroyed
“Even though the tumor appeared so quickly, I had a scan the morning before my fourth round of chemotherapy and it was completely gone.”
“I think the first round actually ruined it; After that I no longer have to walk around with a pillow.
“Although I considered stopping treatment after my fourth round of chemotherapy, I was advised to go through the fifth and sixth treatments to make sure the chemotherapy was gone and they took their toll on me.”
“I remember feeling really bad during Thanksgiving. I had to sit with my feet on the ottoman, which was a shame, because I wasn’t sociable enough to join in with the others.”
Jaclyn believes she responded well to treatment because she was “trying to live the best life possible before she got cancer.”
“For the most part, I still felt well and energetic enough to stay active during my treatment,” she said. “I did yoga and rollerblading. I even learned to stop at the skate park when I had cancer.”
Today, Jaclyn is in remission and the chances of her disease returning are slim.
On the lessons learned from the experience, Jaclyn, who has been cancer-free since December 2020, said: “Although cancer can affect anyone, I believe it is the foundation of your health that determines how well or easily you get through it. will come.” . and then jumps back again.
“I used to not be the type of person to rush to the doctor and I would wait until there was a good reason to – I would go through the checklist of all the things I wanted to try and there would still be no improvement. “
“Now I would drive much faster to have peace of mind.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
