A young woman has revealed how she forgot she had cancer after waking up from a coma and shares the agony of being told her diagnosis for the second time.
Kirah Line, 23, from Cambridge, was just 21 when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer, in July 2022.
She was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and supported by the Teenage Cancer Trust.
After undergoing four grueling rounds of chemotherapy between July and December 2022, Kirah was placed in an induced coma for three weeks after contracting sepsis.
When she woke up, Kirah was so confused that she didn’t realize she had missed Christmas and had completely forgotten about her cancer diagnosis.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Kirah described the tremendous difficulty of coming to terms with this devastating illness for the second time.
She said: ‘I remember they asked me what day it was. And I said with a massive attitude: “obviously it’s almost Christmas.” But it was actually long after Christmas.
‘At first when I woke up I was really medicated so I felt like I had just woken up. But as time went on I deteriorated and became very delirious. Things started coming back to me and I realized it had been there for quite some time.
Kirah Line, now 23, completely forgot she had cancer when she woke up from a coma in January 2023 and had to be told of her illness for the second time.
Kirah said her life “changed overnight” when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at just 21 years old.
‘When I first woke up I had been dreaming and was delirious. I imagined all kinds of scenarios about why I had fallen into a coma. It felt really real.
‘And then he told me that everything had happened because of “your chemotherapy and your cancer.” And it all started coming back to me. In fact, I was a little relieved because I had forgotten that I had cancer and thought that other things had led me to be in a coma.
“It was one of the hardest parts of that time, accepting what was real and what wasn’t.”
Kirah initially began to feel unwell in early 2022 and caught colds frequently.
Doctors told her to “take some vitamin D” and she even convinced herself she was pregnant due to not feeling well and the pressures of her restaurant job at the time, which focused heavily on culture. of the drink.
She said: “I thought maybe it’s all in my head.” I’m not going to continue going to the GP because it was a bit embarrassing. I felt like they didn’t really believe me or that there was nothing wrong with me.’
That July he went out for a drink and started feeling sick after having one. She vomited in her sleep and woke up with a rash all over her face, but she was kicked out after going to the ER.
In total, it took four months until he was diagnosed with cancer and was finally given the news after a biopsy.
Kirah didn’t realize she had missed Christmas after being in a coma for three weeks.
Kirah is now studying a degree in social work at Anglia Ruskin University after being forced to leave her job when she was diagnosed
Kirah was treated on the wards of the Teenage Cancer Trust and was relieved to be surrounded by people her age. Kirah (right) is pictured with her sister.
She reflected: “I don’t really remember what was said because I think I was so shocked that I wasn’t listening anymore after hearing the word cancer.”
‘I remember them being really kind and empathetic. They told me everything that was about to happen as best they could.’
Within a week, Kirah began treatment at the Teenage Cancer Trust’s young adult ward and spent 30 days in hospital receiving chemotherapy.
She said: ‘Everything changed overnight. From that day on I was not allowed to go to work, I was not allowed to do many things because my risk of infection was too high.’
Things got worse when he developed sepsis at the end of his treatment in December and woke up from an induced coma on January 6.
Kirah had to learn to stand, walk and even eat again after waking up.
She had a speech and language therapist and learned to use her mouth muscles again, while dietitians helped her eat again.
After a couple of days, he was able to get out of bed again, but said learning to walk was a “long process.” Even now, his right leg has not fully recovered.
Kirah had to learn to walk, eat and get up again after waking up from a coma. Pictured with her friend Cerys.
Kirah initially began to feel unwell in early 2022 and caught colds frequently.
It took four months for Kirah to be diagnosed with cancer, after initially being told to “take more vitamin D”.
When she was told she had cancer, Kirah said she couldn’t process the news.
She told FEMAIL: “I’m definitely a lot better than I was, but I still have a heart condition from the chemotherapy.” I am also going through the process of being diagnosed with arthritis and have very bad pain in my right arm.
“I think it’s important to recognize that, especially with cancer patients, there are a lot of things you have to live with afterwards.”
Kirah said that before her diagnosis she was a “really agile and active” person who worked in a restaurant.
She said: ‘There were so many things I took for granted, like how easy it was to get out of bed.
‘Some days that’s not an option or some days, with the way my arm is right now, I can’t put my hair up on my own. Sometimes I look back and reflect on how different things were before I was diagnosed.
“That’s life now and you have to be pragmatic and find new ways of dealing with things and still have fun and do the things I did before.”
After her diagnosis, Kirah never returned to work, although she is now studying for a degree in social work at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, where she lives.
As he continues to recover, he said he will take things “easy” in the new year and use his energy to focus on his career.