Home / Health / Mum's Covid Cough Hides Stage Three Cancer
Mum's Covid Cough Hides Stage Three Cancer
27 Oct
Summary
- A lingering cough after Covid revealed stage three thymoma cancer.
- The rare cancer required chemotherapy, extensive surgery, and vein reconstruction.
- Michaela Riley is now five years cancer-free and has had another child.
Michaela Riley, a 34-year-old teacher from south London, initially mistook a persistent cough following a Covid infection for a lingering symptom of the virus. However, the cough, coupled with difficulty breathing when lying down, prompted her to seek medical attention.
Doctors at A&E discovered she had stage three thymoma cancer, a rare malignancy affecting the thymus gland located between the lungs. This diagnosis came as a shock, particularly as her son was only eight years old at the time.
Her treatment plan was extensive, beginning with egg freezing, followed by 21 rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the 6.4cm tumour. This was followed by a complex five-hour surgery in September 2021.
The surgery not only removed the tumour but also required reconstruction of the superior vena cava, a major blood vessel, due to the cancer's spread. This procedure is rarely encountered by thoracic surgeons.
Following treatment, Michaela Riley has made a full recovery and is now five years cancer-free. She has since given birth to her daughter, now aged two, and cherishes the opportunity to live a full life.
