A lawyer whose crippling symptoms were dismissed as just 'bad flu' was diagnosed with blood cancer two years later.
Karla Lora-Cabán, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was just 16 when she suddenly lost one-and-a-half stone (21lbs), and developed anaemia, asthma and a nasty cough.
Over the next two years, the teenager was diagnosed with everything from arthritis to dermatitis, and prescribed a series of cream, cough syrups and iron tablets.
When these failed to ease her suffering, an X-ray finally revealed a large tumour on Ms Lora-Cabán's right lung and she was diagnosed with stage four diffuse large b-cell lymphoma.
After coughing up blood, Ms Lora-Cabán was rushed for emergency surgery to remove half of her lung, before going on to endure chemotherapy and having her lungs drained three times.
When she relapsed for a third time last year, doctors warned the now 24-year-old they could only buy her more time.
But two months ago, Ms Lora-Cabán surprised everyone when she made a 'miraculous' recovery and now only goes to hospital for check-ups every two months.
Karla Lora-Cabán's anaemia and nasty cough was dismissed as 'bad flu' and arthritis for two years before she was diagnosed with blood cancer. She is pictured left showing off the scars from surgery to remove half her right lung, which had a large tumour, shortly before she relapsed for a second time. She is pictured right this year after making a 'miraculous recovery'
After she was diagnosed, Ms Lora-Cabán was rushed to emergency surgery when she started coughing up blood. She is pictured after the operation during a three-month stint in intensive care, surrounded by her loved ones. The ordeal also caused her to spend ten days in a coma
Speaking of when she first became unwell, Ms Lora-Cabán said: 'I attributed all of my symptoms to other things, which is why these types of cancer are so hard to diagnose.
'When I started coughing really badly, given my asthma and anaemia, I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was merely bad flu.
'The cough became worse and with chest pains, along with the weight loss came night sweats, skin rashes and sporadic fevers.
'I was told the chest pain was arthritis and prescribed a cough syrup, then for the rash was told it was dermatitis and giving topical cortisone, and then given iron for my anaemia.
'No doctors could tell me what was going wrong with me, so I continued to get worse and worse.'
After finally being diagnosed with blood cancer, things took a dramatic turn for the worse when Ms Lora-Cabán began coughing up blood.
'I was rushed-in for emergency surgery, which resulted in the removal of half of my lung, two surgeries, ten days in a coma and a three month stay in ICU.'
Although doctors were initially optimistic Ms Lora-Cabán may be on the mend, she then relapsed again.
'I was given a trach, chemo
