Cancer patient warns of the ‘one mistake’ he made before devastating diagnosis

A cancer patient has urged others not to make the same mistake and get any symptoms checked out as soon as possible. Fahad Khan was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called lymphoma in 2020 at the age of 29. But it was already at stage four when diagnosed, and Fahad said the disease should have been picked up sooner if he had “listened” to his body.

Taking to social media platform TikTok, he shared some of the red flag symptoms he initially dismissed. These included a high pulse rate of around 120bpm, fatigue and loss of appetite. Speaking to his 19,500 followers he explained: “One vital mistake I made prior to my cancer diagnosis. Do not make the same mistake, because of this mistake I was diagnosed at stage four.

“I could have been diagnosed with stage one or two and this would have given me a better treatment option. The mistake I’m talking about here is not listening to your body and putting it down to other things.”

He continued: “My pulse rate was really high for about a year before I was diagnosed, I was getting tired, I was not eating well and I put this all down to other things. I think we tend to disregard things about health, just because of the hassle of going to the GP getting appointments. But remember this could save your life because of this.”

Fahad revealed he only went to the doctor when the symptoms became “unbearable”. “And this is why I caught my cancer at stage four rather than earlier,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is something that could happen to anyone. I never expected to be diagnosed with stage four and at the age of 29, but just get it checked out if you have any doubt.”

According to Lymphoma UK, common signs of lymphoma include: Swollen glands in the neck, armpit or groin area, or anywhere you have glands (lymph nodes) – usually these aren’t painful Extreme tiredness – tiredness that doesn’t go away even after rest or sleep (fatigue) Chest pain, cough or breathlessness if there’s a swelling in your chest Feeling uncomfortably full or feeling sick caused by a swelling in your stomach area Itching either widespread or in one place Bone pain if the lymphoma affects the bone marrow inside your bones Skin rashes or lumps Infections that are frequent or last a long time Unusual bleeding or bruising caused by a low number of platelets – the blood cells that cause the blood to clot.

If you experience any unexplained symptoms you should speak to your doctor. Fahad is currently fundraising to undergo a stem cell transplant to fight his cancer. To find out more visit gofundme.com/f/funding-for-critical-stem-cell-transplant.