The woman, 26, was extremely itchy but said ‘it’s just one of those things.’ She then self-diagnosed her cancer (exclusive).

need to know

• A young woman suffered from excessive itching and was eventually diagnosed with cancer

• Sumbul Ari was dismissed by several doctors, including one who told her that she needed to moisturize everything.

• “It was a relief to be told I had cancer. I finally had an answer. But I was very disappointed, and very angry, at all the doctors who dismissed me,” she told PEOPLE.

A young woman’s excessive itching was dismissed by several doctors. Despite feeling helpless, she still didn’t give up – and eventually she diagnosed herself with cancer.

Sumbul Ari tells PEOPLE exclusively that she was “fit, healthy and very active with a background of running half marathons, powerlifting and indoor rowing.”

“I went to the gym six days a week, I never smoked or drank too much, I slept eight to nine hours a night, and I rarely got sick,” she adds. “I had no problems with my health before this, and regular blood tests were done every year, always in the range and normal.”

When her first symptom, itching, started, Ari, 26, says, “At first I thought I was reacting to something—perfume, deodorant, laundry products, bath products. I started the process of elimination, but nothing worked.”

She also suffered from “night sweats” and “acne”, so Arie chalked them up to “hormonal changes”. But when more symptoms appeared, fatigue, loss of appetite, changes in voice over the past week, recurring skin infections and brain fog, Arie knew it had to be more serious.

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“After two months of extreme itching I went to the first doctor. I told him I would wake up in the middle of the night and kill myself because it felt like things were crawling on my skin,” Arie recalls.

Stating that she had “no scars,” Ariel responded to People with a less-than-ideal solution from a medical professional. “He told me, ‘Moisturize the skin. It’s probably just dry skin,’ and he blamed it on the hot, humid weather,” she says.

When she saw a second doctor, this time for the infection she had, Arie says she mentioned her persistent symptoms and was treated for the infection as well as the itching. But when she returned two days later with her problem still unresolved, Arie says the doctor dismissed her symptoms as well.

“I’ll never forget the exact words: ‘It’s just one of those things,’ ” she recalls.

As her problems continued — and her blood work came back “completely normal and in the range” — Arie admits, “I honestly gave up.” Still, she looked at her own symptoms, going down what she describes as “a Reddit rabbit hole every night.”

“I suspected mold, searched my house and removed any mold. I suspected athlete’s foot, I tried home remedies I found on Reddit. Nothing. I tried creams, antihistamines, sleeping pills: nothing worked,” she tells PEOPLE.

Arie eventually saw several doctors — one when she thought she had parasites, and another from whom she sought antibiotics — and during a colonoscopy with a doctor who was a naturopath, she received help that made her “finally feel like things were looking up.”

However, “three weeks later, I noticed the itching came back, and this time, it was worse,” says Ari.

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A lump appeared on Ari’s neck at that time. When she did a Google search to look it up, the results changed everything. “After reading about itchy skin, night sweats and fatigue, I found out I had cancer,” she told PEOPLE.

Eventually, after several doctor visits, her self-diagnosis was confirmed as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “I didn’t care if it was cancer, I just wanted the itching to stop and a full night’s sleep,” she says. “At that point I was emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted. I was at an absolute breaking point.”

“It was a relief to be told I had cancer. I finally got an answer,” Arie continued. “But I was very disappointed, and very, very angry, at all the doctors who dismissed me.”

She adds, “There’s nothing more frustrating than knowing there’s something incredibly wrong, but being turned away from people who could help.”

Ari is currently in the middle of chemotherapy treatment. “Since my first chemo session, all my symptoms I was experiencing have gone away,” she says. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I sleep like a baby every night, and I don’t scratch myself anymore.”

“Every morning I wake up grateful for a full night’s sleep,” Arie adds. “I forgot what it felt like to wake up well rested.”

She continues, “I’ve been feeling really good since chemo. I’ve had no nausea, side effects, reactions or sickness. A little tired, but I only fall asleep once in a while.”

Ari, who works as a user-generated content creator and event content creator, says she’s also active. “I’m moving my body every day, walking, running, rowing, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, sleeping well, and of course staying positive,” she explains.

Looking back on her health journey, Arie tells PEOPLE, “I finally got my answer because I never stopped advocating for myself, no one listened.”

“Never stop advocating for yourself when you know something is deeply wrong,” she continues. “Keep trying until no one listens.”

Ari adds, “I started to believe that life wasn’t worth living, and I really couldn’t go on anymore. And then my answers came, which I’m so grateful for. Don’t give up.”

Regarding her advice for others who are currently facing or may face similar situations in the future, Arie says, “Let go of the pressure, the timelines and the expectations you once had for yourself. You don’t need to be burdened with everything right now. This is a great way to be your ‘self’—a time to heal yourself, focus on your peace and regulate your nervous system.”

“I’ve learned that when you strip everything back, what’s really important becomes clear. So focus on each day as it comes. Be present, lean on the people you love and let yourself rest without feeling like you’re falling behind,” she continues. “You’re not behind, you’re just being told to go about life differently now, and that’s okay.”

Read the original article on People