A TEENAGER died after doctors mistook his cancer for anxiety 12 times.
Christopher Chaffey went to several appointments for help after feeling sick. He was then sent home and referred by a psychiatrist.
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The 19-year-old, who appeared on The X Factor, was eventually rushed to hospital after a lump developed on his neck 15 months after his symptoms first appeared.
Doctors told his family that he had aggressive non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
and a massive 4lb tumour in his chest. A week later, he died.
Now Christopher’s brother – RAF gunner Michael Chaffey – is now running
The London Marathon in his memory and to raise awareness of cancer.
Michael, who is 30 years old, hails from Coniston and said that he wanted something to make his brother proud.
He is hoping to raise £2,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust in his memory.
Michael told Hull Daily Mail: “Everyone suffers some form of bereavement at some point, but I am looking at positive ways of remembering him and trying to make him proud.
I want to raise awareness and money, as this charity is very dear to my heart.
“The family has really suffered. According to the coroner, there was a good chance that he would have survived if he had been diagnosed at the time he brought up his symptoms.
“He kept going to the doctors and they even put him in touch with a psychiatrist for anxiety.”
Christopher passed away in 2009. His brother will be running the London Marathon in his honor.
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KNOW THE SIGNS
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the sufferer’s lymphatic system.
It affects the white blood cell, which is part of the body’s immune system.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma affects more than 12,000 people in the UK each year.
Signs and symptoms of the disease may include;
- Abdominal pain or swelling
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin
- Chest pain, breathing difficulties or coughing
- Persistent fatigue
- Fevers or night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss
The only way to confirm a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is via a biopsy.
Visit the Go Fund Me page here.
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