Beth Paterson was in her third trimester while also undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare type of cancer affecting the immune system. The mum of three was in a coma while undergoing treatment at Wessex Neurological Centre at University Hospital Southampton, and in March this year finally gave birth to her third child, Isabella. Now in remission, Beth has thanked staff for their support, saying: "They were absolutely fantastic.
Especially the lymphoma nurses who couldn't have done more for me. "They were always so approachable and empathetic." The symptoms first started around October last year when Beth started feeling sick, tired and had persistent itching.
However, because of her allergies and being pregnant, her symptoms were initially thought not to be serious - and she later lost three stone. While at home, due to complications with encephalopathy - a disease in which the functioning of the brain is affected by some agent or condition - she fell unconscious After a series of appointments, she attended Basingstoke & North Hampshire Hospital, and was blue-lighted to Wessex Neurological Centre at UHS where MRI scans and X-rays were carried out. In December, due to the effects of encephalopathy, she became unresponsive and following tests she was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma.
This is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system - part of the immune system - which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body. As a resul.