A YOUNG woman has urged residents not to ignore the symptoms of kidney cancer after she was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 24.

Hollyann Prince, from Bewsey, was just weeks shy of her 25th birthday when she was diagnosed with a 10cm tumour on her left kidney in October 2015.

Now four years on from first experiencing symptoms, Hollyann has shared her experiences of battling the disease to mark Kidney Cancer Awareness Week.

The 27-year-old said: “I was a month away from my 25th birthday and I was due to start a new job - it was a massive shock.

“It’s like your whole world crashes down and you have to put everything on hold.

“Getting married, having kids, your career, buying a house - everything gets put on hold.”

At first, Hollyann believed her symptoms were side effects of medication for arthritis and the contraceptive pill, but she was forced to seek emergency treatment when she woke up in agony one night in September 2015.

Extreme pain suffered on her left hand side was initially dismissed as a water infection by doctors, before an ultrasound and a CT scan diagnosed Hollyann with kidney cancer.

Her left kidney was removed in November that year, keyhole surgery that has since been followed by immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Hollyann, of Regency Square, was diagnosed with another tumour in August.

She has been supported by Kidney Cancer UK throughout her treatment.

Research by the charity has shown that more than half of kidney cancer patients are diagnosed with the disease during unrelated scans.

Hollyann added: “It’s the seventh most common cancer, but people don’t know about it.

“They call it the silent killer.

“You should get checked out if you experience certain things - like having blood in your urine, being fatigued all the time, feeling sick or not eating.

“As a young patient, I think I sometimes wasn’t taken seriously.

“Don’t ignore any symptoms, and if you think you’re not being taken seriously get a second opinion - don’t think that you’re badgering the doctors, because that’s how I felt and I think a lot could have been avoided if I’d listened to myself more.”