'I didn't catch on I had cancer until my symptoms were severe'

JACK, 20, URGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO 'GET CHECKED'

- By KRISTIE MCCRUM

A Middlesbrough man was diagnosed with blood cancer after he found a lump on his neck. Jack Cooper, 20, says: “If I had caught the cancer earlier, my life would have been much easier”.

He's now backing an NHS campaign to raise awareness for Blood Cancer Awareness Month and get more young people to check their unusual symptoms. When Jack found his lump, he initially dismissed it - but a sudden weight loss caught his attention.

The culmination of symptoms prompted him to seek medical advice from a GP. In March 2025, Jack was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system and affects thousands of people in the UK every year.

He said: “It was a shock discovering I had a lymphoma, as some of the symptoms at the time were easily ignored. For example, weight loss as I was working two jobs and was trying to lose weight at the same time.