“Three years ago in October 2018 I felt a lump in my neck. It had appeared out of nowhere and I felt fine other than that. I visited my GP, who referred me to A & E. They weren’t too concerned, but something didn’t sit right with me so I decided to go private, where they did a biopsy on the lump, which came back benign at first and then changed to inconclusive," she says.

Nadia was then sent for a second biopsy and following that her medical team decided to remove the lump for cosmetic purposes, if she wished. Soon after, Nadia became pregnant, so opted to wait until she had the baby to undergo surgery.

However, two weeks after she gave birth to her son Ezra, Nadia received a call asking her to come into the hospital. It was then she was told the heart-breaking news that she had thyroid cancer.

“It never crossed my mind that I had cancer. It was such a huge shock. I was on my own hearing those words and it really floored me, I was a new Mam and I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Nadia had a full thyroidectomy, which when analysed thankfully indicated that her cancer hadn’t spread elsewhere. She is on elotroxin for the rest of her life, a medication which replaces her thyroid function.

Nadia had radioactive iodine treatment in St. Lukes Hospital at the beginning of February. After this she had to isolate from her family for three weeks which she says was incredibly difficult. She will return to hospital in April for her results and some more tests to determine if further treatment is required. 

Reflecting on her cancer experience so far, Nadia says;

“For me, the hardest thing is a lot of people say thyroid cancer is the best cancer you can get, at the beginning I took comfort in that, and I know I have been lucky, but at the same time it’s been incredibly tough to go through all of this especially with a new-born baby.”

“One positive has been that after I shared my story on Instagram I got about five messages from young women who had found changes in their bodies, saying that my story encouraged them to go get checked out. So I’m glad to have raised some awareness and have encouraged others to advocate for themselves and their health.”

Throughout her illness Nadia used the Irish Cancer Society website to find trusted information and advice, she also highlights how reading other people’s stories reassured her hugely during her diagnosis.

“I found a lot of helpful information on the website, it really helped me to have factual, trusted advice, and reading other people’s cancer stories gave me some hope and positivity.”

In September, Nadia ran the virtual mini marathon in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, raising an incredible €1900.

Nadia is delighted to be supporting Daffodil Day 2022 and her message to the men and women of Ireland is to ‘listen to your body’.

“It is rare to get cancer, but don’t ignore a lump or change, because a lot of people do. Check yourself and if you notice something unusual, get it checked out. Most importantly, if you don’t get the answers you want - keep pushing, if you feel something is not right in your body don’t take no for an answer.”