Anna Sadowski initially attributed her persistent itchy rashes to the overwhelming demands of her college life, only to later discover that a tumor the size of a grapefruit was the true cause.

At 22, the Philadelphia-based student noticed unexplained rashes and hives beginning to manifest on her body in the spring of 2023. At the time, she assumed these symptoms were merely stress-related.

The rashes, which would erupt on her face, neck, back, and shins, persisted for two years and at times caused her lips to swell, adding to her discomfort.

“I was juggling a hectic schedule with school obligations, a part-time job, my graduation preparations, board responsibilities for three clubs, my studies, and tutoring,” Sadowski explained.

“With such an intense workload, I brushed off the symptoms, attributing my exhaustion and fatigue to being overworked and stressed,” she added.

Initially, the hives appeared as slightly raised and not particularly itchy bumps on her back. However, by April 2025, they had started appearing on her legs as well.

‘The rashes on my shins were super itchy, and I would need to put cream on them or else I would scratch them until the point where they would bleed and it was just disgusting,’ she recalled. 

Then, the young woman began experiencing other symptoms including fatigue, chest pain, night sweats and cold-like symptoms that worsened all throughout 2025.

Anna Sadowski was diagnosed with cancer after dismissing her rash, blaming her symptoms on stress

The circle shows the ‘grapefruit-sized’ tumor in Sadowski’s chest

The fall of that year was when things got worse. 

‘My symptoms became unmanageable…’ Sadowski said. ‘From August to October I was sick every day, every week. I gaslit myself that it was just a common cold. I was coughing so much and having feverish chills.

‘Then the night sweats began – I was having them for multiple months to the point where I was drenching the sheets multiple times per night. 

‘I was miserable because I was getting zero sleep because I was so sick. I physically couldn’t complete my work and I knew something was wrong.

‘My mom took me to the doctor’s and I told them about the night sweats and they sent me to the emergency room. I was so, so scared.’

After undergoing scans in the hospital, doctors told Sadowski she had a 10cm ‘grapefruit-sized tumor’ in her chest.

Sadowski thought her life was over.

‘The mass lies right next to my heart and it’s huge. I genuinely thought that I was going to die,’ she said. ‘They said that they believed it to be cancerous but that they would need to do more testing to confirm. I’d already braced myself for the worst.’

On November 18, 2025, after several biopsies and further testing, Sadowski received a diagnosis of Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that can spread quickly if not treated.

Between 8,500 and 9,000 Americans are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma each year, making it a rare type of cancer. It is, however, the most common cancer among 15- to 19-year-olds, and rates peak in people 18 to 34.

The National Cancer Institute estimates about 1,100 deaths per year. 

Sadowski said she knew something was wrong because she was getting no sleep due to the feverish night sweats and cold-like symptoms 

Sadowski said her initial hives were ‘more like raised bumps on my back… [and] not super itchy.’ However, in April 2025, she developed rashes on her shins that became extremely itchy

Sadowski was diagnosed at stage two, which has a five-year relative survival rate of about 95 percent

After undergoing chemotherapy, Sadowski will have a detailed scan later this month to confirm whether she is in remission

Itchiness and a rash are rare symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma, but researchers believe they are caused by cytokines – chemicals released by the body’s immune system as a response to the disease – irritating nerve endings in the skin, which cause persistent itching.

The five-year relative survival rate for Stage 2 is about 95 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute, but doctors still initiated an aggressive chemotherapy plan for Sadowski.

She will have a detailed scan later this month to confirm whether she is in remission.

Now, Sadowski is sharing her story in the hopes of encouraging other people to visit their doctor if they notice something wrong with their body.

‘You should trust your gut, and if you think that something is wrong then you should go to the doctor,’ Sadowski said. ‘Most of the time your body knows when something is wrong. Don’t be scared. I was scared to go to the doctor – that’s why I didn’t go.

‘[But] if you think that something is wrong then go and get it checked out.’