A mother who was told her agonising knee and leg pain was curable blood cancer has received a devastating blow weeks later. Lisa Rimmer, 36, from Runcorn and now living in Cheshire, was diagnosed with high-grade follicular lymphoma, a condition that is incurable, just days before she was due to start chemotherapy.
From searing knee pain to a cancer diagnosis
In June 2025, Lisa, a self-employed makeup artist, felt searing pain in her knee after a busy workday. A client who is a nurse urged her to go to A&E at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Doctors initially focused on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) due to her complex medical history, including a stroke during pregnancy and congenital emphysema. After ruling out DVT, they suggested a sports injury, then investigated gout and arthritis, all with negative results.
An MRI in October 2025 led clinicians to suspect osteonecrosis, a condition often seen in chemotherapy patients, chronic alcoholics, or long-term steroid users, none of which applied to Lisa. When she returned with additional symptoms like severe night sweats and exhaustion, she was told she would get a routine appointment in three months.
A shift in diagnosis
Three months later, after another MRI, significant changes were detected, and Lisa was referred to Oswestry Bone Hospital. She recalled: "The consultant came in and I'll never forget his face. His whole like demeanour changed and he sat down on the bed and said the MRI wasn't consistent with osteonecrosis and had got worse."
She was called in for a biopsy the next day and told to bring someone. "The first thing that I said when they told me about the cancer was 'my babies' like I need to be here for my babies. The oncologist said you're still going to be here for your babies - it's going to be a tough road but at that time they told me it was curable."
Initially, medics believed Lisa had B-cell lymphoma, and she prepared for treatment with hope. However, a conclusive biopsy revealed high-grade follicular lymphoma, which is incurable.
Impact on family and work
The diagnosis has upended her life. As a self-employed entrepreneur, she couldn't get critical illness cover due to a pre-existing lung condition. She has put her bridal makeup business, Lisa Rimmer Bridal, on hold for at least six months because of her compromised immune system.
Breaking the news to her three children - twin boys Vincent and Ralph, eight, and four-year-old Olive - brought an unexpected moment of levity. Her youngest found it hilarious that mummy would soon "look like Granddad," bringing laughter to a devastating conversation.
Lisa said: "I'm quite a pragmatic person because life's thrown so many things at me. I had a stillbirth at 19, I had a stroke when I was pregnant, life has thrown so many medical obstacles my way. It's made me see the good in so many things - like see the little positives it being treatable. It's not curable so I see the positive in that it's treatable. I'm just holding on to the hope even though they can't cure it - they can't treat it."
Community support
Following her diagnosis, Lisa's friends launched a GoFundMe campaign to support her family while she undergoes six rounds of intensive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. The appeal has raised nearly £7,000 in just over a week.
Lisa has been documenting her journey on TikTok, sharing her symptoms and experiences. She explained: "So many of my clients, family and friends were sending me messages and I did find it a little bit overwhelming to reply to everybody, but I also wanted to get the story out there because I would never like I said have associated my symptoms with having cancer. I've found a little bit of comfort in watching other people's stories on TikTok and thought if I can add to that and help... somebody even if it helps one person."
