Jamie Haxton was diagnosed after a lump appeared under his jaw following a tooth infection
A bloke was stunned to discover he had blood cancer after visiting his dentist about a ‘tooth infection’. Jamie Haxton, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma following a dental appointment.
An infection had sparked a reaction in his lymph nodes, resulting in a small lump forming under his jaw. Despite months of antibiotics, the lump remained, leading to a biopsy and a series of scans that confirmed the diagnosis for the 29 year old.
Jamie was left “shocked” by the diagnosis and was put under active surveillance due to his lack of noticeable symptoms. However, he pledged to carry on living life as normal – staying fit and continuing his work as an online fitness coach.
Jamie said: “At the end of the day, it’s your health. I realised I could still train, still work, still walk and move.
“I even asked the doctor if I could go ahead with a five-month prep for a photoshoot I had planned and she gave me the green light. For me, keeping active has been such an important part of dealing with this.”
Just a week after Jamie’s diagnosis, another family member also received the devastating news they had cancer and needed urgent treatment. Jamie shared that despite it being a challenging time, it brought his family closer together.
Now, the family is rallying together to participate in Off The Beatson Track in support of Beatson Cancer Charity. Jamie will be joined by seven family members for the charity walk.
On Sunday, August 24, the family will tackle 10k – beginning at the Riverside Museum, journeying past the Beatson Cancer Centre on Great Western Road, beyond Kelvingrove Museum, and circling back to the Riverside.
Jamie said: “I think the more people involved, the more powerful it is. Everyone wanted to be part of it and it feels really special to be doing it together. Cancer is much more common than I realised until my own diagnosis, so raising awareness and support is really important to me.”
Jamie has already demolished his fundraising target, collecting four times his original goal of £500.
“The support has been amazing,” Jamie added. “It’s been overwhelming to see how many people have shared the page and donated. It definitely gives me a boost to keep going.”
Maisie McCormick, community fundraising manager at Beatson Cancer Charity, said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 12th Off the Beatson Track event this year. We’re so grateful to everyone who has taken part over the years – some families have been with us since the beginning, so we hope everyone will get behind the celebrations this year and join us.
“Every single person who signs up is allowing us to support more cancer patients and their families over the years to come and we cannot thank you enough for that.”
Jamie’s fundraiser can be found on JustGiving.