Featured Image Credit: Kennedy
Topics: TikTok, Health, Cancer, Social Media, US News
Liv Bridge
A student has said TikTok 'saved my life' after spotting a concerning symptom while participating in an online trend.
Felipe Escobedo from Atlanta, Georgia, said he was documenting his journey in taking on a social media craze every day when he noticed something unusual in his neck.
The 19-year-old said he was putting Coconut Cult yoghurt to the test after other TikTok users claimed it made them look 'less bloated', but when he rewatched his own footage, he realized he had a lump that had gotten bigger and made his neck appear 'curvy'.
Although he felt no other symptoms, Felipe became concerned when he felt a 'big ball' protruding from his neck and immediately sought an expert's opinion.
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"I didn't realise the left side under my jaw felt harder than the right side. It was very small, but it felt like a small, hard rock," he added.
He was reportedly told by medics the lump could be the signs of a cold or the flu, but the student took himself to the ER two weeks later when it became inflamed.
Doctors at Albany General Hospital in Oregon then made the horrifying discovery that he had four more lumps and urgently performed surgery on the youngster on June 9 to remove them, though they could only extract one.
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Just two days later, he received the devastating diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma - a rare cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands throughout the body.
According to the NHS, Hodgkin lymphoma commonly affects people between the ages of 20 to 40 and those over 75.
The most common symptom is painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.
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Although it's aggressive and can quickly spread throughout the body, it's also one of the most easily treated types of cancer.
For Felipe, his cancer has been determined to be in stage three as it is in his stomach and lungs, though is fortunately deemed treatable.
Now preparing for chemotherapy, Felipe has tipped his hat to TikTok and the viral trend for 'saving my life'.
He said he felt 'a lot of emotions' after the diagnosis, but didn't have much time to process it.
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"I had just finished packing up my dorm so I could only cry for three minutes before I had to go to the airport and back to Georgia," Felipe continued. "I had a feeling this was possible but then I also couldn't believe this was actually what I have and that I have to move forward with this."
"I'm so grateful that those videos really made me see that this one lymph node was something more serious. I even looked at the photos from the past and started noticing.
"Filming those videos saved my life because I spotted it and now I can get treatment."
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The student said he did also have a persistent cough since around February but had brushed it off as a part of college life.
He's now urging others to get their symptoms checked, no matter how minor they may seem.
Felipe continued: "Being in a college dorm it's very easy to get sick so I thought when I went back to Georgia it was going to go away.
"If you're coughing really hard for weeks, definitely look after that, and if you feel something hard on your neck, get that checked.
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"It's paired with cold and flu symptoms but definitely keep a lookout."