A mother who assumed her night sweats, weight loss and fatigue were linked to menopause has warned others not to be complacent after it turned out she had deadly cancer.
Jessica Farrington, 46, started experiencing symptoms often associated with menopause, which typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
She said: ‘I was drenched through my pyjamas and sheets – night sweats that I chalked up to possibly perimenopause or menopause because of my age.’
The stay-at-home mother from Texas, US, lived with these symptoms until several months later when she started to experience itchy skin.
‘At the time, we had just moved from Montana to Texas, so I thought it could be the water,’ she said.
After changing her laundry detergent and putting a filter on the shower head, she chalked up the itching to menopause, a common symptom affecting more than 64 per cent of women, caused by declining estrogen levels.
She also experienced unexplained weight loss – but it wasn’t until she found a ‘pea-sized’ lump in her armpit that she realised something could be seriously wrong.
She said: ‘It scared the heck out of me and I immediately knew something wasn’t right.
Jessica Farrington (pictured) assumed her night sweats, weight loss and fatigue were linked to menopause. She is now warning others not to be complacent after it turned out she had deadly cancer
The stay-at-home mother from Texas, US, lived with her symptoms until several months later when she started to experience itchy skin
‘I didn’t get seen by a doctor right away, hoping the bump would go away – it didn’t, and only grew bigger.’
After going to the doctor in December 2024, almost a year on from the start of her symptoms, doctors ordered blood tests to check her hormone levels, a mammogram and an ultrasound on the lump due to concerns that Ms Farrington might have breast cancer.
All of these results came back within normal ranges and her hormone levels were not showing any signs of peri/menopause.
However, in January 2025, doctors were concerned about the ultrasound of her lymph nodes in her armpit and she was told they would re-check the area in three months’ time.
In March 2025, the ultrasound was repeated and showed ‘significant changes’.
A biopsy revealed that Ms Farrington had follicular lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
Follicular lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes.
Each year, around 2,300 people are diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in the UK.
A biopsy revealed that Ms Farrington had follicular lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system
‘When I first found out, it felt surreal more than anything. Like I was watching someone else’s life happen in front of me,’ she said.
More tests revealed she had swollen glands in her neck, both armpits, around her aorta, abdomen and groin.
‘The disease was also systemic, so it was in my blood and bone marrow, making me stage four,’ she said.
Ms Farrington started a ‘brutal’ treatment plan, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. This required treatment on two consecutive days every six weeks for six months.
She said: ‘For about a week after each one, I was so physically and emotionally sick that my world shrank down to my bed. There were moments I lay there and honestly didn’t know how much more I could take.
‘I didn’t know how you’re supposed to keep choosing to go back to something that hurts you this much, over and over again.’
Now, Ms Farrington is in remission and is undergoing maintenance therapy, which involves immunotherapy every two months for two years.
This is to help manage her symptoms as follicular lymphoma is not currently curable.
She says her advice to other women would be to ‘always listen to your body’.
‘Be so intimately aware of your baseline that if something is off or you have that feeling that something isn’t right, get seen by a medical professional.
‘No question or concern is too small, and always advocate for yourself,’ she said.
Nearly two years on from when her symptoms first began, Ms Farrington concluded: ‘I can say that we never know when our time will come, so I choose to keep living no matter what.
‘That’s all any of us can do anyway. Keep living!’
