A mother of two who assumed her persistent cough was a lingering effect of Covid was instead diagnosed with a rare cancer after seeking hospital care.
Michaela Riley, then 34, had a cough that would not clear, and after 19 days of continuing pain she decided to get medical advice.
Diagnosis and treatment
Her diagnosis was a 6.4cm stage three thymoma affecting her thymus gland. She underwent 21 rounds of chemotherapy before a complex five-hour operation at Guy's Hospital in September 2021.
The tumour had reached a major vein near her heart, which surgeons had to rebuild. Michaela said the diagnosis made her fear she might never hug her son again.
Life after cancer
Now five years cancer-free, she attends annual check-ups and has since had a daughter. She said: "Having cancer and surviving it has given me the chance to start again."
