'I thought I just got bad hangovers but it was actually a warning for something sinister'

A young woman thought her innocent symptoms were from hangovers, but later received a devastating cancer diagnosis.

Poppy Beguely, 19, began experiencing severe hangovers after nights out, along with vomiting, a sore inside her nose, and a facial rash.

She initially assumed it was from drinking a bit too much, but when she began coughing up blood and her symptoms persisted, she suspected it could be something more sinister.

Between June and October 2022, Poppy was hospitalized three times after nights out. Doctors suspected deep vein thrombosis, and administered blood thinners. They reportedly dismissed her concerns about a more serious underlying issue.

It wasn't until December 2022 that the situation escalated when she visited a doctor with a sore neck.

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To her horror, a biopsy of a lump on her neck and a PET scan revealed stage-three Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a six-centimeter tumor in her chest.

Reflecting on the diagnosis, Poppy said: "It was very bittersweet. I had spent so long worrying about what was wrong with me.

“Part of me was happy that I didn’t have to worry about what exactly was wrong anymore. But then, the other part of me was obviously quite upset,” Poppy, from Auckland, New Zealand, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

Poppy, a florist and swimming instructor, faced additional challenges during her treatment. She started chemotherapy in February 2023 shortly after her 20th birthday.

She endured a four-month journey, which included a month-long hospital stay due to a severe reaction to a blood transfusion.

Describing her lowest point, Poppy said: "I was on so many painkillers that it totally screwed up my stomach and bowels, and in turn, my weight dropped down. [This was] the only time I was really scared for my life."

Despite the hardships, Poppy emerged victorious, completing her chemotherapy and achieving remission. She has since returned to work, having had to focus on treatment for much of the year.

"I think the worst part of having cancer and coming out the other end of it is realizing that while your life got put on hold, the world and everyone around you keep going,” Poppy said.

“For a while, you feel like you’ve taken so many steps back that it’s hard to get back to normality.”

“Ultimately it has given me a different outlook on life.

“I remember when I was an inpatient and I wasn’t allowed outside for weeks because mommy's immune system was too compromised.

“When I did get to go outside, and the sun was on my face, I just started crying, and I couldn’t stop.

“I took the smallest things for granted before the smallest things were out of reach.

Expressing gratitude for her recovery, she added, "I’m grateful that I won my life back, especially after a year of not knowing [what was wrong]."

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