A mother of three from Cheshire has spoken of the moment she cried "my babies" after learning that a year of excruciating knee and leg pain was caused by an incurable form of blood cancer.
Lisa Rimmer, 36, from Helsby, was working as a self-employed make-up artist in June 2025 when she felt a sudden, severe pain in her knee. A client who is a nurse urged her to go to A&E at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Given Lisa's complex medical history – which includes a stroke during pregnancy and being born with congenital emphysema – doctors first checked for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). When that was ruled out, they suggested a sports injury, despite Lisa insisting she had done nothing to cause it. Tests for gout and arthritis also came back clear.
MRI leads to suspicion of osteonecrosis
An MRI in October 2025 led doctors to suspect osteonecrosis – a condition where bone tissue dies, usually seen in chemotherapy patients, severe alcoholics, or long-term steroid users. None of these applied to Lisa.
When Lisa returned to her consultant with additional symptoms – drenching night sweats and overwhelming fatigue – she was told she would be seen routinely in another three months.
Three months later, after a routine MRI, major changes were spotted and Lisa was referred to specialists at Oswestry Bone Hospital.
Lisa said: "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."
At the bone hospital, a biopsy was arranged. Lisa recalled: "I thought 'it's just because not going to be able to drive after me pre-op' - so we went in and they basically said we think it's lymphoma, but we have to do a bone biopsy."
She added: "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."
Diagnosis changes to incurable lymphoma
Doctors initially suspected a form of B-cell lymphoma, and Lisa prepared for aggressive treatment, holding onto the promise of a cure. But just days before chemotherapy was set to begin, results changed the diagnosis to high-grade follicular lymphoma – a cancer that is incurable.
The diagnosis has upended every aspect of her life. As a self-employed business owner, Lisa had been unable to secure critical illness insurance due to her pre-existing lung condition. Now she has had to step away from her bridal makeup business, Lisa Rimmer Bridal, for at least six months because she is immunocompromised.
When explaining her diagnosis and possible hair loss to her children – eight-year-old twin boys Vincent and Ralph, and four-year-old daughter Olive – the family found light in a dark situation. Her youngest thought it was hysterical that her mum was going to "look like Granddad," breaking the ice and giving the family a moment of laughter amid the heartbreaking news.
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."
She added: "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."
Friends raise funds and Lisa shares story online
Since the diagnosis, Lisa's close friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help her family financially while she undergoes six rounds of intensive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. The page has raised almost £7,000 in just over a week.
Lisa has also been sharing her story on TikTok, including her diagnosis, symptoms, and every step she has been through so far.
She said: "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."
She added: "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."
Symptoms of high-grade follicular lymphoma
According to the charity Lymphoma Action, lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that develops when white blood cells grow out of control. Follicular lymphoma is the most common type of low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
About 2,300 people are diagnosed with follicular lymphoma every year in the UK. It can develop at any age, but is more common in people over 60.
Symptoms include unexplained weight loss, fevers, drenching sweats – especially at night – frequent infections, difficulty getting over infections, and fatigue.
