EXCLUSIVE Medical student, 27, reveals how she discovered her own CANCER during an ultrasound class – as she admits she is GRATEFUL for her diagnosis because it ‘makes her feel strong’
- Sally Rohan, from California, stumbled across the ‘nodules’ during her first year
- The 27-year-old has shed further light on her medical journey to DailyMail.com
- She has candidly said that the whole experience would ‘only make her stronger’
A medical student has candidly revealed how she discovered her own thyroid cancer during an ultrasound class.
Sally Rohan, who has been sharing her story on social media, stumbled across the ‘nodules’ during her first year at New Jersey’s Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine.
The 27-year-old, from Ukiah, California, has since spoken exclusively with DailyMail.com to shed further light on her medical journey and the emotional impact it has had.
She insisted that the experience would ‘only make her stronger’ as she bravely urged: ‘I’m glad it’s me and not someone else.’
Sally Rohan, who has been sharing her story on social media, stumbled across the ‘nodules’ during her first year at New Jersey’s Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
The 27-year-old, from Ukiah, California, has since spoken exclusively with DailyMail.com to shed further light on her medical journey and the emotional impact it has had
Sally, who did not have any symptoms, told DailyMail.com: ‘We had our first ultrasound class during our first year of medical school where we learned how to ultrasound the thyroid.
‘Our school likes to get us started early on ultrasound because it is such a useful tool.
‘When I first saw the nodule, I honestly mostly felt curious. The instructor said that incidental findings happen in ultrasound classes all the time, so I didn’t feel particularly concerned.
‘If anything, I felt a little cool and special that my thyroid was helping us see something new.’
She continued: ‘My friends and I were joking about it while we looked at it, but they paused to check in and make sure the jokes were okay with me.
‘I thought that was really kind of them to both joke with me but also make sure that I was still feeling okay. I remember thinking they were going to be great doctors.’
Explaining the weeks that followed after making the discovery, she said: ‘I called my primary care doctor in California after seeing the nodule, and they ordered blood work to check my thyroid hormone levels.
‘I was about to turn 26 and get kicked off my parents’ insurance. I was told that with my timeline, it made more sense to just wait a month or so and do a full workup once I had new coverage in New Jersey.
She said that the process took time nearly a year before she was actually able to start scheduling appointments that would provide her with the answers she needed
Sally is scheduled for a CT scan before surgery next week but added: ‘We don’t completely know the exact plan yet’
‘I think they thought I would get coverage right after turning 26, but it wasn’t that simple, and I didn’t know that either.’
She said that the process took time nearly a year before she was actually able to start scheduling appointments that would provide her with the answers she needed.
The findings lingered on her mind but Sally added: ‘At that time it wasn’t scary to me, it was more like an inconvenience that stressed me out whenever I remembered it – almost like remembering you are due for an oil change.
‘Part of me feels irresponsible for not taking the possibility of cancer more seriously.
‘Another part of me is grateful that I found the cancer once I was approved for Medicaid, because this would have created a lot of financial stress for me otherwise.
‘I try not to beat myself up about it too much. If I wasn’t in medical school, I might not have had a reason to discover the tumors for years.’
Sally added that the experience would ‘only make her stronger’ as she bravely urged: ‘I’m glad it’s me and not someone else’
What is thyroid cancer?
It is one of the rarer cancers that affects the thyroid gland, a small gland at the base of the neck that produces hormones.
It’s most common in people in their 30s and those over the age of 60, with women up to three times more likely to develop it than men.
Symptoms
- Painless lump or swelling in the front of the neck – although only 1 in 20 neck lumps are cancer
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Unexplained hoarseness that does not get better after a few weeks
- Sore throat that does not get better
- difficulty swallowing
What causes thyroid cancer?
Thyroid cancer happens when there’s a change to the DNA inside thyroid cells which causes them to grow uncontrollably and produce a lump.
It’s not usually clear what causes this change, but there are a number of things that can increase your risk.
These include:
- Other thyroid conditions
- Family history of thyroid cancer
- Radiation exposure in childhood
- Obesity
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) – a bowel condition
- Acromegaly – rare condition where the body produces too much growth hormone
Telling DailyMail.com about the emotional toll, the medical student shared: ‘It has been really weird.
‘I have felt so many different feelings about it, and while I have hard days, I have to wonder if I ever would have known myself this well otherwise.
‘I feel more tuned into my own life than I ever have before, and that makes me feel strong and proud of myself. I have never felt less bored in my life.’
She continued: ‘My outlook is that if I have to have cancer, I should at least get to joke about it.
‘I have no idea where the positivity is coming from, and sometimes remembering I have cancer is more scary and tiring than it is entertaining, but when I feel happy I just try and let myself feel happy.’
Sally is scheduled for a CT scan before surgery next week but adds: ‘We don’t completely know the exact plan yet.
‘What I do know is that I don’t have to be back in school until the first week of January, so I have the option of recovering during December and then coming back without getting behind in medical school.
‘I am very grateful to have that option, but I am also keeping an open mind and I want to see how I feel after the operation.
‘If I am tired, I want to give myself the grace to rest and take a year to adjust to my new medications. I am all about keeping my options open.
‘The way I see it, my journey through medical school is no longer going to look like that of my peers, so I might as well be as creative as possible and consider all of my options.’
Elaborating further to DailyMail.com about her positive outlook, she added: ‘I don’t know why I feel so okay, and so happy, and so not afraid.
‘But all of these people keep telling me I am brave, and it makes me glad that I am the one going through this and not them.
‘I find medicine interesting, and I can do so much learning through this experience and use it to help my patients in the future.
‘I have an amazing support system, access to healthcare, and so much love for where I am in life.’
She concluded: ‘I genuinely think this experience will make me stronger, and I think that if this is my outlook, then I am probably the perfect person for the job.
‘Nobody is lucky to get cancer, but if someone has to have it, I am glad it is me because I feel okay, and maybe somebody else wouldn’t.’
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