FOR many people, a dry cough usually isn’t cause for concern, particularly in winter if it’s caused by cold or flu.
But for Rafaela Ribeiro, 24, it turned out to be one of the first signs of an aggressive “crushing” her insides.
Rafaela Ribeiro thought everything was fine when she started losing weight and experiencing a dry cough
But when her symptoms progressed, scans revealed she had B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Recalling other symptoms she experienced, the mum-of-two shed nearly three stone at the start of this year, which she put down to just simple .
“I thought everything was fine, that I was just losing weight very quickly,” Rafaela, a real estate agent from São Paulo, said.
“I never imagined it would be anything more serious.”
But Rafaela was soon diagnosed with B-cell , a rare and aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system.
She said: “It started with a constant and then came the swelling in my neck and armpits.
“A few days later, I could no longer swallow anything solid because the tumour was squeezing my chest.”
At first, doctors dismissed her symptoms as or an allergic cough.
But after she collapsed and could no longer eat, scans revealed the shocking truth.
She said: “The tumours were crushing me from the inside.
“My oesophagus was compressed and my heart felt like it was being taken over, but it was just the pressure from the tumours.”
Rafaela began – but during treatment contracted a deadly hospital superbug.
She was placed in an induced coma for nine days as doctors warned her husband Michell that she might not survive the night.
She said: “They told my husband I could die within 24 hours.
“Miraculously, I survived.”
The coma, she believes, actually saved her life.
Rafaela has two sons with husband Michell
Her oesophagus was compressed and her heart felt like it was being taken over by the tumours
During treatment Rafaela contracted a deadly hospital superbug and was placed in an induced coma
She says throughout her ordeal, Michell has been her rock
Rafaela said: “This period of fasting helped me achieve remission.
“If I hadn’t caught this infection and ended up in a coma, they might not have been able to control the disease.”
Now in remission, Rafaela, who has almost 600,000 followers, is awaiting cutting-edge CAR-T cell therapy – an immunotherapy that trains the body’s own cells to destroy cancer.
She said: “Today, the disease is stable; it’s still present, but it’s under control.
“I’m on the waiting list for cell therapy.”
Throughout her ordeal, Michell has been Rafaela’s rock.
She said: “He was the one who held it all together.
“I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without him.”
The couple share two sons, aged eight and two.
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
HODGKIN lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes.
It is not common, with around 2,100 people diagnosed every year in the UK.
Hodgkin lymphoma can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75. Slightly more men than women are affected.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on the other hand, is diagnosed in 13,000 new patients per year. It is more common as you get older, with over a third of cases diagnosed in people over the age of 75.
In Hodgkin lymphoma, B-lymphocytes (a particular type of lymphocyte) start to multiply in an abnormal way and begin to collect in certain parts of the lymphatic system, such as the lymph nodes (glands).
The affected lymphocytes lose their infection-fighting properties, making a person more vulnerable to infection.
Like all cancers, symptoms vary and can be vague. However, patients usually notice swelling in one or more lymph nodes.
This can be in any area of the body, but is often in the neck, armpit or groin.
The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches.
Some people with Hodgkin lymphoma also have other more general symptoms. These can include:
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight loss
- A high temperature (fever)
- A persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness
- Persistent itching of the skin all over the body
Source: Cancer Research UK and the NHS .
