My month-long cough turned out to be blood cancer – if I left it longer I would have been dead by Christmas

A WOMAN who was told she had a nasty chest infection after suffering from a persistent cough discovered it was actually a symptom of blood cancer.

Beth Harris, 24, was diagnosed with stage two B-cell lymphoma on March 4, 2025 – a type of cancer that arises from B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.

SWNSBeth Harris had been suffering from a cough for almost a month[/caption] SWNSHer mum and partner, Lewis, urged her to go get checked out[/caption] SWNSAn X-ray and CT scan revealed Beth had stage two B-cell lymphoma[/caption]

Her mum, Debbie Harris, 60, and partner, Lewis Talbot, 26, had been telling her to go to her doctor after Beth had been suffering from a cough for nearly a month.

Despite thinking her cough would “just go”, Beth booked an appointment with her GP and was prescribed two different types of antibiotics – neither of which worked.

She was then sent for an X-ray and CT scan and, after being told to expect the results two weeks on, Beth was called back just days later and given the crushing news she had cancer.

She is now undergoing an intense course of chemotherapy before she’ll be moved onto oral tablets with the aim of being in remission by October.

Beth, a conveyancer, from Cannock, Staffordshire, said: “It was a lot to be told I had a chest infection to suddenly cancer.

“They said the minute they took a look at my results, they saw that I hit every single marker for cancer.

“You know your own body and I had a feeling when they asked me to come in and my mind instantly went to cancer.

“She said if I had left the cough, I would have been dead by Christmas.”

Beth revealed her mind went to the worst when she was told she had the disease.

She said: “I remember her saying ‘you’ve got lymphoma’ and I burst into tears and zoned out.

“Instantly thinking ‘I’m going to die and my mum’s going to have to plan my funeral‘.

“To begin with, I disassociated from it when you heard the word cancer, but now I’ve accepted it.

“I can’t do anything to change anything – it’s about breaking down the treatment into smaller periods of time.

“So overall I am apprehensive but when you break it down, it doesn’t seem as big and scary.”

Beth was initially told she would be having a six-month course of chemotherapy, but because of fluid around her heart, a decision was made to change it.

B-cell lymphoma means abnormal white blood cells have multiplied to form tumours.

Beth said: “I’ve got lumps in my neck and chest and one main tumour blocking the entrance to my heart and left lung.

“They first said six months of chemotherapy every two weeks, but because of the fluid around my heart, they changed it to every other week for three months.

“The fluid has been caused by what they thought was the chest infection.

“If after that all is well, they’ll drop the hospital side of it, and then I’ll take tablets for another three months.

SWNSBeth is now urging others to always get checked out if you don’t feel well[/caption]

“They hope I’m in remission by October.

“If you don’t feel well, get yourselves checked out.

“I was one of those people thinking it was just going to go, and I would be dead by Christmas if I didn’t finally go.

“I’m lucky that I’ve got a really good GP.

“It’s scary to think at 24, my mum would have been planning my funeral in the New Year – that’s hard.”