Less than 2 years ago, I would barely have been able to tell you where your thyroid gland is, let alone what it does or just how complicated life would be without it.

To cut a very long story short, on the 6th September 2023, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 follicular thyroid cancer aged just 28 years old. After spotting a lump on the front of my neck in June 2022, and 15 months of various GPs, consultants, scans and biopsies telling me it was just a goitre (basically a non-harmful lump!) and nothing to worry about, I was finally given the “C” word when I attended what should have been a routine follow up with my consultant following my initial partial thyroidectomy to remove the “harmless” goitre. Turns out, that “harmless” goitre – which my consultant actually advised me NOT to have removed – was a 5cm malignant tumour. Fast forward nearly one and a half years later and I am still adjusting to my new life without my thyroid and everything that comes with that.

In a way, I was lucky that I had a very small awareness of thyroid-related conditions after my best friend was similarly diagnosed with thyroid nodules a few years prior. As a result, I had been challenging the results of my initial diagnosis at every step of the way; it really didn’t feel like something harmless… I was losing weight like no tomorrow, started to suffer from absolutely crippling anxiety and panic attacks, extreme fatigue and brain fog and had been feeling less and less like myself as each day went by. Luckily, with the support of my family and friends, and the confidence (and knowledge) to challenge back when things didn’t seem okay, my initial operation was expedited which ultimately led to us getting a diagnosis much quicker than previously thought. As a result, my treatment plan was fairly simple: completion of my partial thyroidectomy and a 5-day course of Radioactive Iodine (RAI) treatment (radiotherapy). For now…I can finally say I am thyroid- and cancer-less after showing no visible signs of cancer cells in any of my follow-up scans or bloodwork.

Throughout this whole journey, I was faced with countless medical professionals telling me I was “lucky” to have such a “good cancer”. Now don’t get me wrong, I am forever grateful that thyroid cancer has such high recovery rates in younger people, and that the treatment for it is often a lifelong cure. However, that doesn’t make it any less scary being taken to a room on your own with 3 strange faces staring back at you saying “I’m guessing you know why you’re here” before landing me with a cancer diagnosis aged 28. It doesn’t make it any less scary when you then hear the words that follow either; “Stage 2”, “malignant”, “tumour”, “invasive”, “radiotherapy”.

That said, the resources I was given from the British Thyroid Foundation at the time of my diagnosis, and everything I’ve seen of their work since, has never once failed to recognise the importance of, or tried to invalidate, my cancer diagnosis. At a time when I didn’t necessarily feel I could trust the medical professionals, BTF’s resources kept me educated and informed and made sure that I never went into another step of my thyroid cancer journey feeling blindsided again. They are the absolute experts in all things to do with this extremely powerful butterfly-shaped gland and, whilst I continue to navigate my new life without it, I want to raise awareness of all their efforts and hopefully contribute in just a small way to the work that they continue to do to shed a light on the range of complexities associated with thyroid health. I really hope that, with the support of these resources, other people will be empowered to trust their gut and speak up if they suspect they may be suffering from their own thyroid-related issues. It is unbelievable how powerful that little gland is and it really can knock you completely out of sync whether you’re living with or without one, so don’t just put up with it; own it! Beth Lee