Teenager in remission after barber's cancer advice

Hayley (left) said her son received a lot of support from Teenage Cancer Trust nurse Becky Salisbury (right)

A 17-year-old is in remission from cancer after a Turkish barber persuaded him to get a lump checked out.

Owen from Ludlow, in Shropshire, was first alerted when he went for a haircut in the town a year ago.

His mother, Hayley, said the barber "spotted a little lump on his neck and advised him to go to the doctors".

She has thanked the specialist nurse who helped him and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where he was treated.

Owen was sent to have have a biopsy carried out and it confirmed that he had Hodgkin lymphoma, an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.

His mother said "all involved jumped into action," and he chose to be treated in Shropshire, instead of travelling to Birmingham.

She said he was helped by Becky Salisbury, a specialist Teenage Cancer Trust Clinical Liaison Nurse.

"Becky was there for him, to shield him from the things he did not need to see," she Hayley said.

Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include:

• principally a swelling in the neck, armpit or groin

• night sweats

• unintentional weight loss

• a high temperature

• a persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness

• persistent itching of the skin all over the body

Source: NHS

Owen, an agricultural engineering apprentice, missed his last year of school, but said he had been in remission since June last year.

Although he still has to attend check ups, he said he "feels great".

Hayley and her son attended a meeting of the board of Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust on Thursday to tell the leaders about their experiences of care.

She said her son's "journey would have been a lot harder without Becky," and the family has raised £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust in gratitude.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.