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'I assumed my cancer was Fresher's flu'

Maisie Lillywhite
BBC News, Bristol
Race for Life A woman wearing a pink top with "Race for Life" written on it in a white font. She is smiling and has long brown hair and black rimmed glasses.Race for Life
Ezzy Pearson is the VIP starter for this year's Race for Life in Bristol

A woman who thought her cancer was "Freshers' flu" will officially start a race raising funds to cure the disease.

Ezzy Pearson was starting university when she assumed her runny nose, fatigue, and persistent cough were common cold symptoms, but was then diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

"If I'd been born 30 years earlier, that diagnosis could have been a death sentence," Ms Pearson, who underwent chemotherapy, said.

Now cancer free for nearly 20 years, Ms Pearson, 37, is participating in the Bristol Race for Life in memory of her mum, Jo, who died from lung cancer aged 64.

Ezzy Pearson A young woman wearing a black beanie and a big white coat smiles as she stands beside a snow woman in front of a building, potentially a classroom. There is snow on the grass behind her.Ezzy Pearson
Ms Pearson (pictured in her first year of university) had to undergo treatment for cancer alongside studying

Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, a key part of the body's immune defence, according to Cancer Research UK.

"On the Wednesday of Freshers' Week, I noticed a lump on the side of my neck and just felt really rubbish," Ms Pearson said.

"I assumed it was just Freshers' Flu. But when it hadn't cleared up after a month, I went to the GP."

Initially, Ms Pearson was told to wait to see if her symptoms resolved but was eventually informed, after multiple rounds of blood tests and a biopsy, that she had Hodgkin lymphoma.

Ezzy Pearson An old photograph, potentially from the nineties, of a teenage girl and her mum smiling at the seasideEzzy Pearson
Ms Pearson will be running the Race for Life in memory of her mum, Jo, who died of lung cancer

Despite undergoing six months of chemotherapy, Ms Pearson completed all her first-year university exams, including one taken just hours after a treatment session.

She is now the commissioning editor at BBC Science Focus magazine and will be the VIP starter at the Race for Life in Bristol on Sunday.

"I was devastated when my mum died," Ms Pearson said.

"She was a smoker, and I know there's a lot of stigma around lung cancer because of that - but it's more complex than people realise.

"Everyone deserves compassion and support, no matter how their illness came about.

"I'm so excited and honoured to be starting Race for Life Bristol. It's a powerful reminder of how far we've come in cancer research - and how much more we can achieve together."

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