Leicester hairstylist Nothando Nhliziyo was just 22 years old, and her life was full of promise – running her own business, spending time with her mates, and just generally loving life. But then everything changed for her in late 2024 when she started experiencing agonizing pain in her back.
Nothando thought it could be related to her job, since she had to stand a lot. Doctors she consulted later told her it wasn’t a concern, and each time she asked for assistance, they advised her to stretch, relax, or take pain relievers. She began doubting herself, wondering if she overanalyzed the situation.
However, this pain did not end. On the contrary, it intensified to the point where it consumed her whole life. She could not sleep, turn in bed, or even stand up. In those times, she crawled to the bathroom with her spine-crunching spasms. Yet despite going back to the doctors every two weeks, she remained dismissed.
Nothando had reached her boiling point by January 2025. After the traumatic incident, she decided to visit the A&E department. However, a staff member questioned her attendance there only for back pain. Fearing that she would just be sent home as before, Nothando made a small deceit that she had fallen down the stairs.
This one move turned everything around.
The scans showed lesions across her spine, pelvis, and left adrenal gland. The doctors confirmed that it was cancer, but it was not yet determined what kind. Nothando and her parents were shocked as the room was full of sobbed disbelief.
Over the next three months, she had additional scans, a biopsy, and a surgical procedure where she lost her entire adrenal gland. In April of 2025, she got the news: stage 4 angiosarcoma, a rare form of blood or lymph vessel cancer. By then, it had already disseminated throughout her body. The prognosis was poor.
She was put on palliative care but still undergoes chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and heavy medications for pain management. Nevertheless, she believed that the system already considered giving up on her. Life changed for her literally overnight from cutting hair styles, traveling, and smiling with friends to living with excruciating pain and contemplating hospice care options.
“Nothando’s message is heartbreaking yet powerful:.
“Don’t minimize your symptoms. Don’t wait. Don’t listen to anyone telling you your pain isn’t real. If you have to hypcho your symptoms to make them taken seriously, don’t feel guilty, because for me, proper testing came too late.” Her story is a reminder of the ways in which listening to your body and being an advocate for yourself is important, and not ignoring the warning signals of your body in the form of pain.
