Knight Riven Cosplay

Hello Everyone,

Wanted to give you a ‘life update’ of what’s has been going on the past couple of years.

This past Tuesday marked my one-year anniversary of having the rest of my thyroid removed due to cancer.

My journey began when a CT scan was used to check on some concerning lymph nodes, caught nodules on my left thyroid gland.

These were monitored and grew, leading to biopsies. The results of the biopsies showed a BRAF V600E mutation. (high risk of cancer)

Thyroid cancer can be tricky to diagnose, often requiring surgery to truly diagnose it. I initially had only my left thyroid gland removed, but pathology found two types of cancer cells: Papillary (tall cell variant) and Follicular. Papillary cancer can be bilateral, which means there is a high chance it can affect both sides. And with the Tall Cell Variant, it means cancer was growing out.

Given the Papillary diagnosis, it was highly recommended to remove the rest of my thyroid. A second surgery confirmed there was Papillary cancer on my right gland. While I feared overtreatment, it was necessary for my long-term health. Thankfully, a removed lymph node and parathyroid gland were cancer-free.

I underwent radioactive iodine treatment. This targets and destroys any remaining thyroid cells. I just had to take one nuclear medicine pill. It was interesting to see it delivered in a heavy “lead pig” case.

That’s my story so far. I’ll be on lifelong thyroid medication and have routine blood checks to monitor my Thyroglobulin (Tg) levels, a tumor marker.

I’m an open book about this journey. Everyone’s cancer experience is unique. Fortunately I’m now on the upside of this journey.

Catch you on the flip side and f—k cancer. 🦋