Archive · 5 Sep 2025
Young Mother Fights Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma After Deadly Diagnosis
Rafaela, a young mom, started with a cough and felt tired.
Doctors found she had a serious blood cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The cancer made her very sick.
She lost weight and had trouble swallowing.
After chemo, she got a bad infection and was in a coma.
Her husband was told she might not live.
Luckily, she survived.
Now, she is recovering.
She is waiting for a special treatment to help her body fight the cancer.
This cancer affects the body's lymph nodes and white blood cells.
A young mother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after experiencing a persistent cough.
Rafaela Ribeiro, 24, initially dismissed symptoms as a flu.
Her condition worsened, leading to chemotherapy and a hospital-induced coma.
Doctors told her husband she had a day to live before her miraculous recovery.
She is awaiting CAR-T cell therapy, with the disease currently stable.
- Who
- Rafaela Ribeiro, a young mother.
- What
- Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after initially experiencing a cough and fatigue.
- When
- Symptoms began in winter, diagnosis and severe illness occurred recently.
- Where
- São Paulo, Brazil.
- Why
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a blood cancer; early symptoms led to a delayed diagnosis.
- Patient
- Rafaela Ribeiro, 24-year-old mother
- Diagnosis
- B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Symptoms
- Dry cough, swelling in neck/armpits, fatigue
- Treatment
- Chemotherapy followed by induced coma; awaiting CAR-T cell therapy
- Location
- São Paulo, Brazil