I was diagnosed with terminal cancer aged 20 despite being in peak physical condition - I mistook my...

A fitness influencer who was diagnosed with a rare but deadlycancerthought his symptoms were from 'working too much.'

Lee Troutman, from Atlanta, Georgia, was diagnosed with late-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last year after suffering from night sweats, fatigue, and liver pain.

Leading up to his diagnosis, Mr Troutman, then 20, was working out for 12 hours a day and training clients as a fitness instructor.

By the time doctors found the cancer, he couldn't walk, talk, or eat. He had also lost half his body weight in just two months.

'The doctors did not think I would survive,' Mr Troutman said.

Mr Troutman is one of a growing number of young people being diagnosed with cancer in recent decades - a trend that doctors still don't fully understand.

When he first went to the doctor in October 2021, he was diagnosed withmononucleosis, or 'mono,' which is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Then, after multiple rounds of tests, doctors foundhemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), an immune system reaction that can cause organs to shut down, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).