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Teacher's Fatigue, Weight Loss Led to Cancer Diagnosis
12 Jul
Summary
- 21-year-old teacher diagnosed with thyroid cancer after noticing weight loss.
- Symptoms of tiredness and weight loss were initially attributed to busy motherhood.
- Advocates for pushing for scans, not just blood tests, for neck lumps.
Emily Greenwood, a 21-year-old teacher from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, initially attributed her extreme tiredness and significant weight loss to the challenges of being a new mother. She first noticed a pea-sized lump on her neck in September 2025, mistaking it for an eczema flare-up.
Her concern grew when she nearly fell asleep while playing with her toddler and realized she had lost nearly a stone and a half. Discovering a hard lump on her chin in January 2026 prompted her to see a GP.
Blood tests showed low iron and folate, but her thyroid function appeared normal. An ultrasound revealed a suspicious lymph node and a thyroglossal cyst. A biopsy confirmed thyroid cancer, a diagnosis Emily found terrifying.
She underwent a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection in March 2026 to remove the tumor and lymph nodes. Following radioiodine treatment in July 2026, Emily is expected to be cancer-free and is preparing to start her teaching career this September.
