NEED TO KNOWA young woman suffered from excessive itching and eventually self-diagnosed herself with cancerSumbul Ari was dismissed by multiple doctors, including one who told her all she needed to do was moisturize"Being told I had cancer was relieving. I finally had an answer. But I was very frustrated at all the doctors who dismissed me, and very, very angry," she tells PEOPLEA young woman's excessive itching was dismissed by numerous doctors.

Despite feeling helpless, she still never gave up — and she eventually self-diagnosed herself with cancer. Sumbul Ari tells PEOPLE exclusively she was "fit, healthy and very active with a background in running half marathons, powerlifting and indoor rowing" before her symptoms began. "I was committing to the gym six days a week, I’ve never been a smoker or excessive drinker, I would get eight to nine hours of sleep a night, and I rarely got sick," she further explains.

"I never had issues with my health before this, and regular blood checks were done every year, always in range and normal. "When her first symptom, itching, began, Ari, 26, says, "At first I thought I was having a reaction to something — perfume, deodorant, washing products, shower products. I started an elimination process, but nothing helped.

"She also suffered from "night sweats" and "acne," so Ari chalked them up to "hormonal changes. " But when more symptoms appeared, including fatigue, loss of appetite, voice changes that would last weeks, recurring skin infections and brain fog, Ari knew it had to be something more severe.