Shane has since been told that, due to the cancer, it is unlikely he will ever be able to have his own biological children
A young man was diagnosed with cancer for a second time after claiming a lump in his neck was repeatedly dismissed. Shane Southwood, 27, spotted a swollen lymph node on the right side of his neck in September 2023 after a check-up.
He went for a routine ultrasound in September but says he was told the lump was ‘completely normal’. The same thing reportedly happened again a year later. Shane, who had fought cancer as a child, finally pushed for a biopsy in March 2025 and was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Doctors are looking to cure Shane’s cancer using a chemotherapy called escalated BEACOPDac. He has now started treatment chemotherapy and has been told it is unlikely he can have his own biological children.
Shane, a removal man from Copplestone, Devon, said: “I was angry. I was angry that it’s come back, but angry that I don’t know how quickly this thing has progressed. I don’t know how long it’s been going on for.
“I just felt a bit annoyed. It just felt like so much waiting around to find out something which could have maybe been caught sooner.”
Shane was previously diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma aged 12 in February 2010. He had initially thought he just had a sickness bug like the rest of his family, but knew something was wrong when he did not recover.
After six rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Shane was given the ‘all clear’ in November 2010. He said: “I remember being told in the hospital room and breaking down in tears. It was very scary at the time.”
“They generally tell you, once you pass the five-year mark it’s very unlikely it will ever come back. After the 10-year mark, they say, you are pretty much in the clear. That’s why I think it’s quite unusual that after 15 years the exact same one has come back.”
Shane’s doctors spotted a lump in September 2023 – around the time of his engagement party with fiancée, Megan Campbell. He went for a routine check-up because he was due an ultrasound in his neck area.
But his results came back and he says he was told the lymph node was ‘completely normal’ and ‘there is nothing to be concerned about’. A year later, in November of 2024, Shane noticed a lump again on the same side of his neck.
Because of his history with cancer, he pushed for another ultrasound – which came back normal. But Shane was told to return in eight weeks for another ultrasound. Shane was finally booked in for a needle biopsy in March 2025 which showed cancerous cells in his neck.
Shane felt ‘annoyed at this point’ with the repeated ultrasounds as the results were repeatedly coming back normal and leaving doctors with no concern. He said: “I’d waited eight weeks and I’d basically just been sitting on it for so long when they’ve been telling me the whole way through is you’re fine.”
He had to undergo a surgery to remove the lymph nodes so they could be sent to a lab after the results were not conclusive. On March 12, 2025 he was told he had stage four cancer. On the same day he was also told that due to the cancer and his previous treatment it would be unlikely he would ever be able to have his own biological children.
He said: “I’d actually already had a phone call from a fertility clinic that day as well, basically telling me that it’s unlikely that I can ever have children. It was a pretty tough day.”
He started chemotherapy in April 2025 and is due to have three months of treatment. Shane was due to marry Megan in June this year, but they have had to cancel it and postpone it to 2026 due to his treatment.
Shane said: “If it was caught a lot earlier, who knows? I may have been able to get married this year. These things just put a big hole in your life. The plan was to get married and have kids and all of that pretty soon. This is going to throw a spanner in the works.”
Shane’s three best men Will Price, Daniel Earl and James Eginton, have set up a Go Fund Me to help relieve financial pressure while he is off work sick. Shane said: “They really wanted to help me, so they set up this Go Fund Me and it just took off! I couldn’t believe it, I was so overwhelmed.”
The money raised will go towards supporting their living costs, and anything else they may need during his treatment and recovery. Shane will likely be out of work for six months while he has treatment and recovers. Throughout his cancer and his treatment Shane still continues to be a positive as he can. He said: “It’s a crap situation but I have still got a lot to be thankful for.”
Since diagnosis, the haematology team have been been working quickly and efficiently to treat Shanes cancer. Shane said, “I am pleased with the way they have been treating it. I think that Exeter haematology and oncology are the best in the South West.
“I try not to dwell on things too much. I’ve got a great fiancé, great family and friends. I just try to stay positive.”
You can donate to Shanes Go Fund Me here