Faith Hinitt, 27, from Retford, Nottinghamshire, dismissed an itchy red rash on her chest as a symptom of moving house stress, only to be diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. The first-time buyer began experiencing the rash around June 2023, alongside extreme fatigue, night sweats and hip pain, which she attributed to the pressures of buying her first home, starting a new job and changing contraception.
It was a dentist who prompted her to seek a blood test in October 2023, after she failed to respond to treatment for a gum infection. Two days later, on October 7, Faith attended A&E and received the devastating diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive blood cancer. She has since undergone chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in September 2024, and is awaiting a second transplant in early June, which she hopes will lead to remission.
Faith said: 'In May 2023 I started feeling really, really tired and exhausted. At the time I'd just had a job promotion, and I was buying a house – they're two really big life changes happening at once. Buying a house on your own is obviously very, very stressful so I was blaming my tiredness on that.' She added that the dentist 'really helped in saving my life – her pushing me to go to the doctor.'
Now Faith urges others not to ignore symptoms: 'Even if you think a little thing is nothing, go and get it checked out. I feel like we all do know our bodies but we ignore things. If anything, I would say listen to your body.'
