A woman claims she witnessed her cancer spreading across her body for years – without having any idea. Michelle Smith developed a "random" rash that gradually crept up her arm, and was told she had eczema during her teenage years.

The 29 year old says her skin deteriorated "so much worse" as time went on, with agonising rashes appearing all over her hands, legs, back and feet. Michelle had no clue the rashes were indicating a far more sinister condition.

Despite receiving regular eczema treatment from her teenage years onwards, none of the remedies – including creams and dietary plans – improved Michelle's skin.

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"When it got to my toes, I knew in my spirit something was wrong," Michelle told NeedToKnow. "I also had multiple swollen lymph nodes as well. Every day I would feel as if I found a new one in a new place."

Michelle, a patient care technician specialist from Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, US, says it took "forever" for doctors to diagnose her, having consulted numerous doctors who all reached the same conclusion previously – eczema. It wasn't until her hands were painful and splitting that one doctor in Dallas, Texas, eventually told her "whatever it is, it's not eczema".

Michelle underwent additional testing, including blood tests and biopsies, before having surgery to remove a lymph node in her neck in 2018. When doctors finally tested the removed lymph node, they uncovered the real reason behind Michelle's prolonged skin problems – she had stage 4 peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Michelle recalled: "The way I felt when I found out was shock, sad, angry and honestly disappointed in the healthcare system. I felt like one of the doctors that I saw should have been able to tell that there was something wrong and it was a sort of lymphoma. I should not have had to wait until the cancer spread throughout my body to be found."

Michelle endured three separate courses of chemotherapy, even ringing the bell on three different occasions. Unfortunately, the treatment proved ineffective and Michelle was informed she would require a bone marrow transplant – something her older sister, Ashley, willingly volunteered to provide.

Tragically, the transplant also failed to work. Michelle described her treatment as taking her on a "real faith journey" and she frequently experienced anxiety about the possible outcomes.

She continued: "I was hopeful at first, but then started to get a bit discouraged, but I knew my faith in Jesus Christ would be an anchor because doing it alone was impossible. My life stood still, my friends were having fun, having kids, buying houses and I was just in my room living with my mom and stepdad trying to raise my son Tristian on my own.

"I was not able to work at all so the financial strain really started to increase. It made my family really depressed; they tried to hide it but I could tell, it was really a close call for me, this almost killed me.

"I truly almost lost my life. That was not easy for my family to witness."

In 2021, Michelle finally entered remission – something she refers to as a "miracle".

She said: "The cancer just never came back and I was healed; I attribute this to my belief in Jesus Christ, honestly. They had a medication that put me into some kind of medical remission, but the cancer was always going to come back with that.

"They kept me on it and immediately took me into my transplant once that last round was done. I know that may sound confusing, but my almost five-year remission actually is a miracle.

"There is no scientific explanation or medication that put me into remission, according to my oncology team in Dallas, as to why I should still be here due to the failed transplant. They believed the cancer would come back in the next three to six months, if that, but it never did.

"I am healed and made whole again. I have been in remission for almost five years now; my skin and lymph nodes are back to normal."

Michelle described the moment she was informed about her remission as "bittersweet".

She said: "The moment felt like a victory that was quickly coming to be stolen from me. I was told that the remission was temporary and the cancer will be back soon.

"The only other option was to do another transplant with a better match of a donor and hope for the best, which I was not willing to do. I barely made it through the first one – more so mentally than physically.

"But when months started passing and my check-ups were still showing no signs of cancer and I saw my skin healing and returning to normal – joy, it was pure joy that I felt during that time.

"I get to see my son grow up and the fear of death that would be in my family's eyes when they would look at me started to vanish. Hope and joy was being restored to them as well."

Reflecting on her journey, Michelle admits she finds it hard to comprehend that the terrible "eczema" spreading across her body was actually cancer all along.

She added: "Looking back at that is absolutely insane to me. It took doctors forever to accurately diagnose me with cancer; sometimes those first diagnoses and the first time you go to the doctor, they're not accurate.

"Sometimes there could still be something wrong with you. If you knew how many times they told me that what I had was eczema, you would be shocked."

During her struggle with her agonising skin conditions, Michelle spent time researching and exploring alternative treatments and products that could soothe her skin. Following her bone marrow transplant, Michelle trained to become a licensed aesthetician in Pittsburgh to enhance her understanding of skin, identify issues – and spot cancer too.

She eventually created her own product called Eased and Relieved Butter and established her skincare company The Buttery Boutique.

Michelle explained: "I wanted to make sure when I made my [product] that I was educated on it. I was trying to find something to help my skin and my doctor denied me a steroid, my butter was the only thing that provided me a little relief.

"The Buttery Boutique is now helping so many people with dry itchy skin achieve their most beautiful skin and relieve their suffering."

Michelle is also urging others battling with similar conditions to "not lose hope" and to "always advocate for yourself".