01 July 2023 , 09:54
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A teenager who couldn't get out of bed thought he was just tired from work - but actually had cancer.
Bradley Stout Miller, 18, found out he had Hodgkin Lymphoma in September after his mum forced him to see a GP when he was wasn't able to get up.
The former carer began losing weight at an "alarming rate" and was described as a happy teenager with a full social life.
Just a few days after his 18th birthday was given the devastating news he had cancer, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
"I used to work a lot and was struggling to breathe I had shortness of breath even when I was in the shower," he explained.
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"I used to wake up in the night and I would be soaking with sweat.
The former carer underwent chemotherapy between November 2022 and May (Bradley Stout Miller)"I had become so skinny and my mum kept saying that I did not look like the same person. At the time I just thought I was tired from work."
Doctors found a mass in the Merseyside man's neck before being diagnosed with an uncommon and aggressive type of cancer.
Bradley from St Helens added: "After the diagnosis, I lived in denial for a while and when I had my first round of chemo I was bed bound for weeks and was in a wheelchair.
"Then I started to lose my hair which was one of the hardest parts to go through. My hair was such a massive thing to me and especially at my age."
Between November and May this year, Bradley has undergone 12 cycles of chemotherapy.
Mr Miller rang the end-of-treatment bell with his family (Bradley Stout Miller)The struggle has seen him suffer from bouts of depression and seek help from a therapist as he "did not know how to handle everything".
The former Sutton Academy pupil is now waiting on his results after ringing the end-of-treatment bell at Clatterbridge earlier this year and will find out next month if he is cancer free.
"When I rang the bell everyone was in tears, all the way through chemo that was all I spoke about," he said.
"It was such an emotional day and a really good day when I got to do it.
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"Right at this minute I feel like myself and everything is going a lot better. My hair is growing back and I have put weight on.
"But I can't start living my life again until I get my results next month, I feel better in myself but I don't know if I am cancer free... I just never thought this would happen to me I was just a normal person."