A 24-year-old woman found herself in a hospital when unusual symptoms rendered her unable to move her head. Initially, she attributed these symptoms to mourning her pet guinea pig.
In March 2025, Maia Henderson-Roe noticed a lump in her neck, about the size of a small golf ball. At the time, she didn’t consider it significant. Known for having reactive lymph nodes during stress or illness, Maia believed the lump resulted from grieving her guinea pig’s sudden passing.
“I started feeling really cold and having a bit of tiredness,” Maia recounted. However, she dismissed it, thinking, “I just lost my pet so I put it all down to that.” By April, the single lump had multiplied into three.
Seeking reassurance, Maia visited the doctor to examine the lumps. When asked about symptoms like weight loss or night sweats, and responding negatively, she was assured there was “nothing to worry about.”
A few weeks later, Maia’s condition worsened.
“In May, I went away with my partner and started falling asleep in public places, which is unusual for me,” Maia explained. Her family noticed she wore cardigans during summer. By July, her neck swelling had escalated, limiting her head movement.
Experiencing severe itchiness, Maia visited an Urgent Treatment Center, where x-rays and blood tests showed no abnormalities. She was referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist who reassured her: “I was told I have nothing to worry about. He said it could be an infection but he was confident it couldn’t be cancer.”
Maia, unable to drive due to restricted neck movement, underwent an ultrasound revealing “lumps everywhere.”
Maia was diagnosed with Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a disease affecting white blood cells essential for fighting infection.
“I wasn’t too surprised it took a bit of pushing,” Maia remarked, acknowledging her healthy lifestyle that includes no smoking or drinking, a good diet, and regular exercise. “A lot of people don’t expect the young healthy people to get cancer but obviously they do.”
She expressed her disappointment with the initial reassurance: “I was upset that I was told confidently that I didn’t have cancer. Doctors make mistakes and I understand, it was more because I was reassured, I was fine. That was really not the case.”
Following her Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis, Maia underwent six types of chemotherapy, with multiple infusions each fortnight.
Reflecting, she said, “Looking at pictures of me now my neck was bigger but because it happened so gradually I didn’t notice.”
Maia has now completed her chemotherapy cycle and is waiting for a scan to evaluate her progress.
Additionally, Maia’s mother has established a GoFundMe page for her daughter’s support, which is available for donations.