When Ben Collins asked doctors about an itchy lump on his back, he was told it might be ringworm. The young electrician says the bump looked like a 'gnat bite', and medics suggested it could even be an allergic reaction to his tattoos.
But more than a year later, Ben was diagnosed with cancer, aged just 21 at the time. Now, he has spent thousands of pounds travelling to and from hospital for treatment. "At that age, you don’t expect to even contemplate a diagnosis like that," said Ben. "And when you hear the word ‘cancer’, instantly you always think the worst.” READ MORE: Liam Payne's family issue 'devastated' statement after One Direction star's death in Argentina Ben, now 24, says the lump first came to the attention of doctors in February 2020.
He had initially discovered a lump in his right breast, which was found to be a 'fatty lump' following a biopsy. Doctors then noticed the lump on his back, which they believed to be benign.
Ben was referred to dermatology, but his appointment was delayed until February 2021 due to the pandemic. Ben, from Colchester, Essex, said: “It was probably about a centimetre in diameter, so it looked like a gnat bite or a spot.