Girl, 17, dies one week after being told she was cancer free in 'cruellest thing ever'
Girl, 17, dies one week after being told she was cancer free in 'cruellest thing ever'
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A teenager tragically passed away just a week after being informed she was cancer-free. Hannah Riddell, 17, found a lump the size of a golf ball under her arm in August 2024. She was immediately taken to hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma a form of cancer that impacts the lymphatic system. The teen underwent six rounds of chemotherapy before receiving the news that she was in remission.
Her family began organising a celebratory trip to Mallorca. However, their joy turned to sorrow when Hannah's condition deteriorated and she died just seven days later from suspected sepsis. Her mother, Jill Mitcheson, shared: "Her dad and I were holding her hand and I knew she was gone. It was just surreal, like it was not really happening and she was going to wake up it happened so quickly, there was no warning.", reports Birmingham Live.
"It was just the cruellest thing ever. Her whole life had been on hold. It was just the most devastating thing that could possibly happen." Hannah first realised something was wrong when the family came back from a dinner with friends on the evening of August 10 last year. Jill, who works as a carer, recalled: "We were sitting in the garden because it was a nice sunny evening and she came down from her bedroom into the garden and said "mum I need to tell you something.".
"My heart dropped and I thought, teenage girl, she better not be bloody pregnant. So I came into the kitchen and she said "mum, I've got a lump under my arm" and when we looked at the lump it was the same as the size of a golf ball. It appeared very quickly." The following morning, a hospital doctor examined Hannah and she underwent an ultrasound, followed by a biopsy.
