A 24-year-old woman was left partially blind after doctors dismissed her swollen eye as "a stye" - until further investigation at another hospital revealed that it was far more sinister

A woman has shared her harrowing ordeal after waking up one morning with her eye bulging out of its socket - which has left her partially blind.

Mphango Simwaka was initially told her swollen left eye was a simple stye. However, the truth ended up being much worse - when she woke up the next day, unable to see and her eye bulging out.

The 24-year-old, from Bradford said: "I was absolutely mortified. One of my friends kept telling me: 'It looks like your eye's going to pop out.'

"It didn't hurt or anything, but I felt like something was pressing against it. The pressure was unbearable. I just remember looking in the mirror and gasping in sheer horror at the way it looked. I really thought I was going to go blind, if not, lose my life."

Her nightmare began in November 2022, while she was in the process of moving house. She was concerned about an initial swelling of her eye - despite it not being noticeable - so went to the Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) hospital. However, no scans or tests were carried out, with a a doctor suggesting it was a stye. She was told to use a hot compress and to come back if it got any worse.

For a second opinion, Mphango saw an optician, who confirmed her eye socket was inflamed and prescribed eye lubricant, before another doctor at the BRI told her it was conjunctivitis. However, knowing it wasn't something simple, she went back to A&E at Croydon University Hospital.

She was later referred to an eye hospital, St George's Moorfields, where it was confirmed that she had an aggressive tumour. Mphango said: "Each time they gave me a new diagnosis, I felt defeated. I knew it was something that needed to be properly looked at.

"The final doctor took one look at my eye and was completely mortified. Things quickly escalated and I was sent for tests, which showed I had an abnormal white blood cell count, but the cause was unknown. I was then transferred to an eye hospital, where more tests, including a CT scan were carried out. The real nightmare then began."

A mass was spotted in front of her brain, which was pressing against her optic nerve and causing her eye to bulge outwards.
A biopsy was quickly taken and eventually, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of blood cancer.

While devastated - and swift treatment her only chance of survival - Mphango had to quickly think about her future. In case of early menopause, she preserved her eggs and then underwent intense radiotherapy, as well as four cycles of chemotherapy.

In January 2023, despite numerous life-threatening infections, she was given the all-clear. While happy to have her life back, the 24-year-old has been left partially blind and with a drooping eye. Now, she hopes to share her story to raise awareness and for people to push doctors if they feel something isn't right - as it could be a matter of life or death.

She added: "I still think about how bad it could have been. I wonder if without all the delays things might have been different. It was quite shocking being diagnosed with cancer so young, but I'm glad I finally got an answer before it was too late. Always trust your gut instincts, keep persisting and never take no for an answer."

A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are very sorry to hear about Ms Simwaka.
"Unfortunately, the Trust cannot breach patient confidentiality and comment on individual cases but if she would like to formally raise her concerns with the Trust, we will be more than happy to look into them for her."