A brave 25-year-old Exmouth woman is currently fighting cancer for the second time in her short life after battling to be diagnosed on both occasions.
Hannah Grinsted, who is due to get married in August, was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her 21st birthday.
She claims she was repeatedly sent away by her GP over a period of five months in the belief that a lump in her armpit was being caused by something other than cancer.
Following treatment, she began reliving her new life with the hope she had beaten cancer but tragically two years ago it returned, DevonLive reports.
She has now been told her cancer is incurable, but treatments are available to prolong her life as much as possible with hope always around the corner of new trials.
Hannah is now urging people to trust their "gut instinct" if they think something is seriously wrong with them and to not take no for an answer.
Hannah, who previously worked for Avis Car Hire, recalled: "I went to the doctors five to six times and I kept getting told it was a blocked gland or something to do with the deodorant I used, or it was related to my age and puberty.
"I was not necessarily feeling poorly but I felt a lot of pain and I always thought that pain didn't mean cancer but that isn't the case. I was also suffering from pain down my back and front.
"Eventually I was referred to the RD&E and a scan showed I had three tumours in my breast, and eight out my 11 lymph nodes had cancer in them so it was quite a lot.
"My first thought was that I was going to die. My mum was with me and she had an expression on her face I had never seen before. She was obviously very supportive and has been throughout my cancer journey.
"My whole world turned upside down in that moment and I went into a panic attack."
Before Hannah began chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2018, due to her young age she was offered fertility treatment to preserve some of her eggs in case the treatment prevented her from being able to have children.
Unfortunately, due to the severity of her cancer, Hannah was only able to have fertility treatment over a 10-day period which meant only four of her eggs have been able to be stored which greatly reduced her chances of becoming a mum.
She also underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery and had her lymph nodes removed.
Hannah was later told she was in remission but says she never received a final scan to confirm the diagnosis.
"It was assumed I was cancer-free so I put on Facebook the good news," she said. "I had not told anyone before then that I had cancer."
However, around six months later while on a girly holiday in Ibiza, Hannah began experiencing severe problems with one of her legs. Suddenly she was unable to walk or put weight on it and kept falling over.
On her return, she went to her GP and said she had feared the cancer had returned, but says she was reassured it hadn't and was sent home.
After her leg showed no signs of improvement she was eventually referred back to hospital.
On Christmas Eve 2020, her worst fears were confirmed when she received a telephone call saying the cancer was back and this time it was in her femur.
Hannah recalled: "I was sat on my own at work on the late shift when I got the telephone call. When cancer gets into your bone it's incurable.
"I had a metal pole fitted into the centre of my femur because my bones are very brittle now. I also had one batch of radiotherapy and was on oral chemotherapy for about 16 months.
"The cancer held in my bone for about 18 months which was quite good, but about three months ago it was confirmed it had moved to my liver.
"Now it's also moved to my lungs, unfortunately, and the bottom of my pelvis."
It means that Hannah has started a course of intravenous chemotherapy treatment once a week for 18 weeks. This week she received her fifth bout and has lost her hair again.
In a bid to boost her spirits ahead of her upcoming wedding day in August, Hannah's cousin Sammi Williams has launched an online fundraiser called Help Hannah Fight Cancer.
So far it has already raised more than £7,000 of its target of £10,000.
The fundraiser is being used to help make Hannah's big day the best it can be for her and her partner of nearly three years Charlie Cox, 3 - and it is also funding a luxurious handmade wig to help Hannah feel more confident.
