Shafi Islam ignored his night sweats and headaches for a month thinking he had a bug

A young man who dismissed night sweats as a simple stomach bug has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Shafi Islam, 26, from Tower Hamlets, East London, began suffering from headaches and fever in March, brushing off his symptoms for a whole month as he believed it was nothing more than a passing illness.

However, when his condition deteriorated, a trip to A&E led to the discovery of a low-grade lymphoma following a biopsy on his armpit. A second biopsy on his liver then confirmed he had stage four diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, an exceptionally rare and aggressive cancer that accounts for just 1% to 3% of all large B-cell lymphoma cases.

He is currently undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy. Shafi, who graduated from the University of Greenwich in 2021 with a degree in creative writing, said: "One day I just woke up feeling feverish. I had a headache and all I wanted to do was go back to bed.

"It eventually led to really bad night sweats. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with my entire pillow and bed sheets drenched in sweat.

"My stomach became really, really swollen. I didn't know it at the time, but I had fluid building up in my stomach. Eventually I had four litres drained."

Earlier in March, he spent a week working as a room survey assistant for London Business School, and believed he may have picked something up there. It was a full month before he visited his GP, who simply recommended he purchase Gaviscon.

The GP booked him in for a blood test and a stool test and advised him to attend hospital the following day for a chest X-ray. A few days later, Shafi made his way to A&E.

Shafi told Talk to the Press: "It didn't cross my mind at all that it could be cancer. I was very healthy, exercising regularly and job hunting Monday to Saturday."

He was initially diagnosed with a low-grade biopsy, but doctors felt the severity of his symptoms didn't stack up, prompting them to carry out a second biopsy on his liver. In June he was informed it was stage four — with medics believing Shafi had been living with a slow-growing form of lymphoma for years without any symptoms, before it suddenly transformed into a rare and aggressive cancer.

He said: "My doctor mentioned that there's over a 50% chance of prognosis, which doesn't seem too optimistic for me. I thought it would be at least 80%."

Lymphoma is a form of blood cancer that originates in the lymphatic system and can spread throughout the body. Shafi began chemotherapy in June, just a week before he turned 26.

"After my first cycle my whole body was shivering for a couple of hours and my temperature hit 40 degrees. I ended up back in hospital on antibiotics," he said. "I've had so many side effects already. My hair started falling out, so I just shaved it all off."

Despite the devastating physical and emotional impact, he remains determined to keep planning for the future. Upon hearing his diagnosis, he said: "I'll be completely honest, it didn't really faze me.

"I just thought in a very practical type of way. I'll just go through my treatment, get better and move on."

His world has been turned upside down by the devastating diagnosis, yet rather than putting his future on hold, he's still hunting for work while undergoing chemotherapy. He said: "I'm more determined than ever to start my career."

Following graduation, he explained: "I was applying to apprenticeships and graduate schemes from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm."

Shafi revealed he's faced rejection hundreds of times, which he attributes to his lack of experience. He'd had some success securing seasonal work, such as an ice rink assistant role at Winter Wonderland in 2024.

Prior to falling ill, Shafi had landed a temporary park attendant position through an agency, but was dropped from the assignment after being hospitalised before his start date which he said "was heartbreaking.

"It's been a thousand times harder because I'm dealing with cancer, the impact on my family and the financial pressure," he said. "But I'm still job hunting every day and building connections on LinkedIn."

Shafi says his dream role is in recruitment but insists he is "very open minded". He said: "I want somewhere I can learn, grow and develop."

Shafi, who has finished his second round of chemotherapy, is currently awaiting scan results to determine if the treatment is proving effective.

He's facing six cycles of chemotherapy altogether but stays determined to look ahead to life after cancer. "I''m trying to plan for my life after treatment and I think I'm going to get through it," he said.