Hi,
My name is Zahra, a proud cancer survivor.
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (papillary thyroid carcinoma, Bethesda category 6) in 2019. I was 22 years old back then. I just got my Architecture degree and was planning to take a break for a few months before I step into the professional world as an Architect. I was a singer, so i spend most of the free time singing in Smule. It was then I started having cracks in my voice. Voice cracking was new to me. It started getting worse, so I just examined my throat. It was then that I found a huge thick rock-like thing on the left of my throat. I told my parents about this, but they don’t take it seriously, neither me! But my dad was in doubt. He told me to consult a doctor to know what it was.
The next day, my mom took me to a GP. He asked me to consult an ENT or a thyroid doctor. And from then, the marathon run to different doctors began. We then consulted a thyroid doctor, and he asked me to see a thyroid specialist surgeon. We went there too. A happy doctor with a smiling face welcomed me. He was pleasant. I felt comfortable. Normally a doctor would sit in front of you and examine us, right? He went behind me and examined my neck. The smile on his face vanished. He told me that i had to take a test, so better i go eat something and come back. I googled what the test was and then came the test-FNAC. The moment i saw the video, i started shivering. My mom, grandpa and grandma were with me. I couldn't control my fear. I couldn't eat but somehow i had to. We had food and went back to the doctor's cabin; he asked me to come to the other room. I asked him if my mom could accompany me, he said yes.
I laid down, he took a big needle in the size of a 30cm scale and inserted on my neck, inside the tumor. I was in pain, in shock, I could feel the needle moving inside my throat. 3 times he did the same. My mom couldn't see all this, she was holding my legs telling me everything will be fine. Nothing was. I knew that nothing will be. We went home, the pain of the procedure was there with me for the next few days. I couldn't eat or move my neck.
The result took 5days to come and it was confirmed. Everyone in my home started crying! I was strong; at least in front of them. I dint cry. But I burst out when I was alone. The doctor told the operation has to be done immediately. He scheduled it to be the very next week. I was preparing myself. I thought I would die! I dint! After the operation, again, it was found that i had spreading to my lymph nodes. Again, to another cancer centre to have radio iodine. Did that too. I had to live a whole month without eating salt or anything that had salt in it!! That was the very hard part! Tasteless food! I survived it too! I survived everything! From being a girl who was afraid of an even a very small prick, to the brave girl who survived cancer, life has taught me so much!
After all these events, i went to another country; to enjoy my success, managed to get a job, and now I’m a proud independent woman- an Architect, living the life I dreamt of. The story ended in very few words, but what i went through will be there will be till the end. No one knows this story of mine other than few of my close friends. Life tried to knock me down, but i was not ready to fall for anything. My story is not that intense, but still i hope it will inspire at-least 1 person.
