A poorly student thought uni life was running her down - until she found a lump on her neck.
Immy Hall, 20, from York, was in her first year at the University of Salford when she started to feel unwell but put it down to student life and communal living.
The interior design student's symptoms included night sweats and a worsening of her eczema condition, Yorkshire Live reported.
She said: “At Easter time I was laid in my bed at university feeling ill. I rolled over and realised I had this big lump on my neck.”
The student was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in May and is currently undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cancer.
Immy said she’s since learned that heavy sweating, particularly at night and itching are potential signs of Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system.
The 20-year-old has come forward with her story as her friends are tackling Yorkshire’s Three Peaks in one day to raise money for her.
Immy and her friends – who all live in the same area – opted to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
They want to direct money into lymphoma research and treatment and raise awareness among young adults - with fundraising currently standing at a remarkable £4,800.
Now back home with mum and dad, Jo and Peter and sister Jess, Immy is undergoing a three-month course of chemotherapy.
Immy said: “Although the diagnosis still doesn’t seem real, I’m feeling good and I’ve recently been told, following an interim scan, that my treatment won’t take quite as long as we first thought, which is really great news.
The student said she was overwhelmed by the effort her friends were making to raise money on her behalf: “When they come down the last peak, I know I will cry. The fact they’re all so invested in it is such a testament to how close we all are.
“It’s so nice that they can do this for me but it’s also for so many other people.”
Immy said that since her diagnosis, she had learned a lot about lymphoma and wanted to raise awareness.
Ben McCaffrey, one of the six who will be tackling the 24 miles up Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, has known Immy since they were in nursery school.
“She’s bubbly, she’s cheerful, she’s loud, she’s always the centre of the group,” he said. “If we’re doing something as a group, she’s always there. That’s not changed one bit.”
When they heard about Immy’s diagnosis, Ben said they immediately wanted to help.
“It’s not even a question of why I want to do it. She’s been my best friend all my life. I know the cancer can’t feel real for her and it didn’t feel real for me.
“With an exception of one or two times, I’ve never heard her complain or feel sorry for herself. It’s so amazing how strong she is.”
When Benji Tarver, who will also be tackling the three peaks, set up an online fundraising page and suggested they aim for £1,500, Ben was concerned they were being too ambitious.
“I said that’s a lot of money, it’s about £200 each but I’ll give it my best,” said Ben. “In about an hour we were up to £800 or £900 and now it’s more than £4,500.”
The others taking part in the walk on August 18 are Dom Sterrit, Harrison Hurst, Olly Henley and Sam Lupton.
Unfortunately, a back injury has ruled out Immy’s boyfriend Toby Revely - but he will be part of the support team, along with friends and family.
