Lifestyle

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Woman Dismissed as Perimenopausal Gets Shocking Diagnosis

Her symptoms seemed relatively harmless, but her true diagnosis was anything but.

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

PublishedJun 1, 2026, 4:04 PM EDT

UpdatedJun 1, 2026, 4:08 PM EDT

Updated Jun 1, 2026, 4:08 PM EDTPublished Jun 1, 2026, 4:04 PM EDT

Comments

Kim Oakhill endured months of confusion, frustration, and dismissal in the lead-up to receiving a devastating diagnosis.

In 2022, Oakhill, who shared her story in an interview with People published Monday, experienced many symptoms common during perimenopause, the transition period leading up to menopause: interrupted sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, extreme fatigue, and pain in her leg, mainly around her knee.

The timing made sense: Oakhill was in her late forties, when many women experience perimenopausal onset and can endure symptoms for as long as eight years.

​Seeking relief, Oakhill visited medics in 2022 and 2023 and was placed on hormone replacement therapy. This medication is taken to replace the estrogen that the body stops producing during menopause.

​Now 51, Oakhill told People, “I went back to the menopause nurse a few times as my symptoms hadn’t improved.”

Despite her follow-up visits, by December 2024, she found no improvement and developed dizziness, prompting her to discontinue the HRT the following February.

​With no clear diagnosis in sight, the next three months brought new struggles.

“Over the next three months, I was given medication for acid reflux, treated for asthma, treated with two different antibiotics for apparent chest infections after an X-Ray,” she told People.

TRIM THE SAILS

Taking GLP-1 Drugs May Lead to Rare ‘Pirate Disease’

Roosa Rahkonen

​Still, the principal clinical scientist at Cambridge University trusted her gut that something was wrong, even when blood tests came back clean. Following a CT scan in July 2025, she was ultimately diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer.

The progression of cancer is generally classified into five levels using a scale of 0 to 4, with stage 0 being the least severe, with abnormal cells present in a single spot on the body. Stage 4 typically describes cancer that has metastasized, or spread, to other parts of the body, possibly including organs.

Now, Oakhill’s only dream is to live long enough to watch her daughter, Joise, and her sons, Alex and Sam, graduate from university, with her husband, Nick, by her side.

​The diagnosis shocked Oakhill, then 50 and a nonsmoker. She also lived a healthy lifestyle, dedicating much of her adult life to volunteering for the England Korfball Association.

PS/

Grim ‘Victorian Disease’ Makes an Alarming Comeback

Tamilore Oshikanlu

Originating in the Netherlands, korfball combines elements of basketball and netball. Oakhill managed the England Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 teams and served as a coach and development officer for the Ely Vikings Korfball club.

​Following her diagnosis, Oakhill’s family and friends created a crowdfunding page to support her while she undergoes chemotherapy. The goal of the fundraiser is to raise money for a targeted treatment that could possibly extend her life.

“The cancer is advanced and inoperable,” the crowdfunding page’s description says, “and due to a rare genetic mutation, the targeted treatment most likely to give her more time is not currently available on the NHS.”

The NHS is the National Health Service for the United Kingdom.

In support of the fundraising drive, Oakhill’s son, Sam, dyed his hair in the blue and yellow Korfball pattern on March 16.

In response to an Instagram post by the International Korfball Federation, Kim wrote, “The korfball community is so amazingly supportive. Thank you for sharing.”

​In addition to the crowdfunding effort, friends and family are working to establish the Korfball Health and Wellbeing Foundation to support the family and the mental health of players, coaches, and other key members of the Korfball community. Any surplus funds from Oakhill’s fundraising will go directly to the foundation.

​The creators of the campaign noted that “foundations unfortunately take a couple of months to set up,” but that they planned to “get started with this JustGiving page, as time is not on our side.”

“We expect Kim to need access to funds as early as May 2026,” they added, stressing the urgency of Oakhill’s situation.

Doctors have raised alarms over the rising percentage of lung cancer cases in nonsmokers, with the U.S. National Cancer Institute reporting that 10 to 20 percent of diagnoses now affect patients who have never smoked. Researchers believe this rise can be attributed to certain genetic mutations, though the phenomenon is not yet well understood.

Play Video

Cailey PetschHealth and Beauty Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast.