Chester-le-Street 22-year-old diagnosed with stage 4 cancer

Emma Herring, from Chester-le-Street, was diagnosed with the worst stage of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in her chest and neck, at the end of November last year after raising concerns with herself months before.

From April 2025, Emma continued to go to her GP with concerns of increased heartrate, out of breathiness, and chest pain.

Emma has struggled looking at herself whilst she was bald as she said she was ‘never fully prepared to lose her hair’ (Image: EMMA HERRING)

However, because of her age, and previous diagnosis of anxiety when she was younger the doctors initially put it down to this.

She was prescribed Propranolol but because her symptoms remained she eventually went to A&E.

From there she had an ECG appointment and left it at that. Emma returned to work as an Optical Assistant for Specsavers until the next day when she was asked to immediately go in to the hospital.

The cancer found on Emma’s chest and neck including a seven and a four inch tumour (Image: EMMA HERRING)

Emma said: “I am not usually one to call in sick or anything, so I didn’t want to leave work early when the hospital told me to come straight in. I was just going to go after my shift finished, but the hospital put my manager on the phone and said I had to go straight away.

“We then rushed there – and that is when we were told it was stage 4 cancer, the most advanced stage you can get, and I didn’t believe it.

“I was told that I had a seven-inch tumour in my chest and four-inch tumour in my neck. It was and still is the scariest thing I have ever gone through in my life.”

Emma struggled losing her hair that she said ‘was part of her identity’ (Image: EMMA HERRING)

Now, Emma is urging others, especially young people, who like her think ‘they will never get cancer at this age’ to go get themselves checked if anything at all doesn’t feel right.

Emma said: “I ask myself the questions everyday that if I was just properly listened to and sent for earlier tests if my cancer would not have got to this stage.

“If one person learns from my story and persists in getting checked if they feel something is wrong then I will be so pleased as it has gone too far for me now.

“The whole process is so frustrating as I knew something was wrong and that is why I kept going back.

“You think they know best but honestly people need to trust themselves when something doesn’t feel right as I knew. However, I would have never imagined that it would be stage four cancer.

“It got to the point, because the cancer was eating away at my bone that I couldn’t properly change gear in my car because of pain and if something would have been done when I first went in April I believe that the cancer wouldn’t have spread that much.

“This will have a lifelong impact on me now as I wait to see whether I am infertile or what my options are, it is always going to be in the back of my mind as I can only wonder what would have happened.

“It is really scary to think what could have happened if it was left any longer as it had already spread to my bone. It could have killed me.

“Every day is so different and I am just trying to take each day as it comes. I have realised worrying or being scared or sad will not change anything and I’m just being positive.”

The lump that eventually developed on Emma’s neck that turned out to be a four inch tumour (Image: EMMA HERRING)

Although recovery from Hodgkin’s lymphoma has a high success rate, Emma said the experience has been anything but easy.

Emma said: “It has all just been really rubbish, my hair was my identity. Everyone said I would lose my hair and I knew that I just didn’t expect it to be that quick – I think I wasn’t fully ready.”

She is mid-way through an aggressive chemotherapy round that in total will last around six months.

Emma will then have to wait six weeks to have tests to see if the cancer has cleared- if it hasn’t she will then potentially have to undergo further radiotherapy and take it from there.

Emma Herring, 22, from Chester-le-Street (Image: EMMA HERRING)

She said the physical toll of treatment has left her needing help with everyday tasks, adding: “It has really affected me mentally but also physically as well. I have to sometimes get my mum to help me out of the shower and I am 22.

“I just never ever expected to get cancer, especially not at this age. I was finally getting to a happy place in my life, got my own flat and now it has all gone away from me.

“The latest scans are looking positive with a lot of the cancer going, but only time can tell with these things as we need to make sure the cancer has stopped regenerating.”

Emma had naturally long, thick and ginger hair (Image: EMMA HERRING)

Unable to work during treatment, she is also facing mounting financial pressures while waiting to find out whether she qualifies for additional support.

At the suggestion of friends and family, she set up a GoFundMe appeal to help cover essential costs, including travel to hospital.

It has already raised more than £1,600. You can support her fundraiser here.

Emma added: “Bills are also adding up as they don’t stop when you get cancer which is hard.

“I am on the sick, but because my chemo is intense but short, I don’t know whether I will qualify for additional help. I have applied, but it is a lengthy process, and in the meantime it is all so hard.

“Even the cost of the Tyne Tunnel to go to hospital for treatment and petrol is costing hundreds a month and with everything else and not being able to work, it is really adding up.”