Bizarre physical reaction that led to nurse, 36, being diagnosed with deadly blood cancer

A bad reaction to lip filler saved the life of a 36-year-old nurse after her swollen lip prompted a blood test which revealed she had leukaemia. 

Edita Jucaite, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had similar cosmetic procedures before without any reaction, but a lip filler injection last April immediately made her lip swell leaving severe bruising.

The doctor who administered the filler was also a colleague and expressed their concern over the bruised lip and told Ms Jucaite to contact her GP.

Ms Jucaite had also been losing weight — a common warning sign of cancer —and just a few hours after she had a blood test, the GP surgery called her. 

She was told to go straight to hospital as they suspected she did have leukaemia. Further tests confirmed that Ms Jucaite had chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).

A filler injection last April immediately made her lip swell leaving severe bruising. Unusual bruising, unusual bleeding, fatigue, and repeated infections are all tell-tale signs of the cancer. The doctor who administered the filler was also a colleague and expressed their concern over the bruised lip and told her to contact her GP

‘Not many people can say that lip fillers saved their life — but I can,’ Ms Jucaite said now grateful for the bad reaction to the filler.  

‘If the bruising hadn’t happened and I hadn’t been encouraged to see the GP because of it then I may well have put it off again and again which could have then meant the leukaemia may have progressed and been much harder to treat,’ she said.

Unusual bruising, unusual bleeding, fatigue, and repeated infections are all tell-tale signs of the cancer, but many are unaware of these symptoms. 

Leukaemia Care and Leukaemia UK have released new findings from a YouGov poll of 2,000 UK adults which found that less than a sixth (14 per cent) of the UK adult population are able to identify all the four main symptoms of this blood cancer. 

The organisations say this is contributing to more than a third of those diagnosed finding out the life-changing news at A&E. 

The nurse began having oral chemotherapy and she is now in remission. But she will be on medication for life to help prevent the cancer from returning

Throughout the UK, there are around 10,000 people diagnosed with leukaemia every year, with almost 5,000 deaths

Ms Jucaite said: ‘I had no idea about the signs and symptoms of leukaemia — I was happy to be losing a bit of weight as I was about to go on holiday and I drank a lot of energy drinks which may have disguised my tiredness.

‘There definitely needs to be more general awareness of leukaemia and what to look out for so more people can be diagnosed in time for treatment to be effective, like I was.’

The nurse began having oral chemotherapy following her diagnosis and she is now in remission. But she will be on medication for life to help prevent the cancer from returning.

Throughout the UK, there are around 10,000 people diagnosed with leukaemia every year, with almost 5,000 deaths.

Annually, 37 per cent of those diagnosed with leukaemia receive this news in A&E — more than any other cancer type.

In addition, people diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are disproportionately affected as over half of them are diagnosed in emergency settings.

This type of leukaemia is particularly aggressive and develops quickly, so early diagnosis and treatment are even more essential.

Despite common misconceptions, leukaemia is not just a childhood disease and it predominantly affects those over 65. 

Every day, 27 people in the UK are diagnosed with leukaemia, and currently, over 50,000 are living with the disease.