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Feline heroism! Grumpy cat saves woman’s life after angry pet bite causes doctors to detect cancer

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Emily Falk, a 25-year-old animal lover from Port Huron, didn't think much of it after being bitten by her neighbor's black cat, Edgar, while petting him in May.

Black cats are believed to bring bad luck, but for one woman, a bite from an angry feline may have saved her life.

Animal lover Emily Falk, 25, of Port Huron, in the United States, didn’t think much of it after being bitten by her neighbor’s black cat, Edgar, in May while she was petting him.

But a week later she discovered a golf ball-sized lump under her armpit.

At first, she ruled out a possible case of cat scratch fever, a bacterial infection that can be triggered by a bite or scratch from a feline.

It was only after a course of antibiotics failed to clear the suspected infection that Ms Falk sought further medical advice.

Emily Falk, a 25-year-old animal lover from Port Huron, didn’t think much of it after being bitten by her neighbor’s black cat, Edgar, while petting him in May.

But a week later she discovered a golf ball-sized lump under her armpit. She initially ruled out a possible case of cat scratch fever, a bacterial infection that can be triggered by a bite or scratch from a feline. Pictured here, black cat Edgar

But a week later she discovered a golf ball-sized lump under her armpit. She initially ruled out a possible case of cat scratch fever, a bacterial infection that can be triggered by a bite or scratch from a feline. Pictured here, black cat Edgar

It was only after a course of antibiotics failed to clear the suspected infection that Falk sought further medical advice. A subsequent ultrasound and biopsy revealed the truth was far more serious. Pictured here, Falk during her first chemotherapy treatment.

It was only after a course of antibiotics failed to clear the suspected infection that Falk sought further medical advice. A subsequent ultrasound and biopsy revealed the truth was far more serious. Pictured here, Falk during her first chemotherapy treatment.

A subsequent ultrasound and biopsy revealed that the truth was much more serious.

Mrs. Falk had Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare cancer that begins in white blood cells, and began chemotherapy.

Recalling her ordeal, Ms Falk said: “I think the cat bite saved my life in some ways.

“I don’t think I would have ended up going to the doctor so soon, so that definitely helped figure out what was wrong with me.”

Ms Falk said she had no idea the “assault” on Edgar would lead to such a discovery.

‘I love animals and actually saw an outdoor cat in my driveway, which was my next-door neighbor’s cat.

‘I was petting him and he bit my left hand and made me bleed a little.

‘I was a little nervous and mentioned it to my doctor. He ended up putting me on antibiotics because he thought it might be cat scratch fever.

‘With cat scratch fever you can get lumps under your armpit, so when I found the lump under my armpit about a week later, I thought that was why.

‘But the lump didn’t go away after antibiotics, so we started looking for other causes that could have caused it.

“I wasn’t that worried. I thought it was some kind of infection.”

It was only after further tests that doctors discovered the cancer was stage four, meaning it had spread to another part of the body.

They found it present in his lymph nodes and bone marrow.

Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when infection-fighting white blood cells called B cells multiply abnormally and build up in certain parts of the lymphatic system.

This can cause a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit, or groin.

Other symptoms include persistent cough, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.

Recalling his ordeal, Falk said:

Recalling her ordeal, Falk said: “I think the cat bite saved my life in some ways. I don’t think I would have ended up going to the doctor so soon, so that definitely helped me figure out what was wrong with me.”

Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when infection-fighting white blood cells called B cells multiply abnormally and build up in certain parts of the lymphatic system. Pictured here, Ms Falk shaves her head during her first chemotherapy treatment.

Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when infection-fighting white blood cells called B cells multiply abnormally and build up in certain parts of the lymphatic system. Pictured here, Ms Falk shaves her head during her first chemotherapy treatment.

In the UK, around 2,600 cases are diagnosed each year, meaning it accounts for less than 1 per cent of cancers. In the US, 8,800 cases are detected each year.

According to Cancer Research UK, almost 85 percent of people with cancer will survive five years or more after diagnosis.

Ms Falk said: “I was so scared, I didn’t know what was going to happen or how long it was going to take. I was thinking, ‘Am I going to die?’

‘My mother’s gasp was very loud when the doctor said “stage four.”

“But the good thing about this type of cancer is that stage four depends on the region in which it is found. Therefore, it is not as harmful as stage four pancreatic cancer, for example.

“I still have a good prognosis, it’s very curable, it’s not terminal. I have an incredible support system around me.”

She has already completed her first round of chemotherapy and is expected to receive a second treatment in late November.

Ms Falk added: “I feel strangely grateful to the cat. The next time I saw him I said ‘thanks, mate’.”

‘I just thought it was a lump caused by cat scratch fever.

“I would say to anyone else who finds a lump to always go to your doctor if you have any suspicions. Be proactive and take care of yourself.”

What is lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes, which are the body’s disease-fighting network.

This network is made up of the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and thymus.

There are several types of lymphoma, but there are two main ones: non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin.

Both have much better prognoses than many types of cancer.

WHAT IS HODGKIN’S LYMPHOMA?

Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in white blood cells. It is named after Thomas Hodgkin, an English physician who first identified the disease in 1832.

It affects around 2,000 people each year in the UK and 8,500 in the US.

Hodgkin lymphoma is most common between the ages of 20 and 24 and between the ages of 75 and 79.

Five-year survival rates:

Survival rates are much more favorable than those for most other types of cancer.

  • Stage 1: 90%
  • Stage 2: 90%
  • Stage 3: 80%
  • Stage 4: 65%

Symptoms include:

  • A painless swelling in the armpits, neck, and groin.
  • Heavy sweating at night
  • Extreme weight loss
  • Itching
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Cough

Risk factor’s:

  • Reduced immunity
  • Family history of the disease.
  • Smokers
  • People who are overweight

Treatment:

  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiotherapy
  • Steroids
  • Stem cell or bone marrow transplants

WHAT IS NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can appear anywhere in the body, but is usually first detected in the lymph nodes around the neck of those affected.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma affects around 14,000 new people each year in the UK. In the US, more than 80,000 people are diagnosed each year.

It is more common in men than in women and is usually diagnosed when the patient is around 20 years old or after 55.

Five-year survival rates:

Survival can vary widely in NHL cases.

The overall five-year survival rate is 70 percent, and the chance of living 10 years is about 60 percent.

Symptoms include:

  • Painless swellings in the neck, armpits or groin.
  • Heavy sweating at night
  • Unexplained weight loss of more than one-tenth of a person’s body.
  • Itching

Risk factor’s:

  • More than 75
  • Having a weak immune system
  • Suffers from celiac disease
  • He has a family history of the disease.
  • I have had other types of cancer.

Treatment:

It depends on the amount and location of the body affected by non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Therapy usually includes chemotherapy.

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