Sonia's story

I was on holiday for my husband’s 40th birthday when I first noticed a lump in my neck.

I went to my GP to get it checked out, but the biopsies and scans were inconclusive. Fast forward two years and I could feel the lump when swallowing and was wearing scarves to try and hide it. I went back to the doctors and after a biopsy on 4th February was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Telling my family was one of the hardest things I had to do - everyone was in shock, and I don’t think it really sank in at the time. My Mum and Dad both cried but we’ve talked a lot about the cancer since, and how it makes us feel, which was good. 

I had a thyroidectomy in March to remove the tumour and another operation to remove the spread. Three months later I had radioactive iodine therapy and had to be in total isolation for a week, which meant I couldn’t see my little boy, Jnay. He was only two at the time and didn’t understand why he couldn’t be with mummy. 

After a second dose of radiation I got the all clear in February 2015. Having cancer has changed my perspective on life, and I feel very lucky that I was diagnosed when I was.