A woman who underwent a life-saving operation was left stunned when her mum had the same surgery by the same surgeon just three weeks later. Allie Carson-McGeary, 26, was “terrified” when she called her mum Helen Anderson, 53, to tell her she had a 4cm lump on her thyroid and was waiting for a biopsy.
During the call, Helen, a primary school teacher revealed that she too was on the waiting list, after finding a similar lump. The mother-daughter duo had their biopsies a day apart, but only Allie’s came back as cancerous.
Allie, a social media manager, was diagnosed with stage one thyroid cancer and given a 97 per cent chance of survival. While Helen’s lump was inconclusive, both of the women had surgery to remove their tumours.
Allie was operated on by Omar Hilmi at Ross Hall Hospital, Glasgow, on April 13 last year. Three weeks later, on May 9, Helen had the same operation, by the same surgeon. Allie underwent radioactive iodine treatment after her surgery to treat her cancer, and thankfully she is now cancer free.
Allie, from Glasgow, said: “I found a lump on my neck on world cancer day. I didn’t think much of it, but I’d just watched a YouTube video where Demi Jones from Love Island was speaking about her experience with thyroid cancer, so I thought I’d better get it checked.
“I told my mum that I was waiting for a biopsy, and she told me not to worry because she was waiting for one too and that it was probably nothing.
“Mum’s biopsy came back as inconclusive, but I never thought mine would actually be cancer. In a way it was comforting having my mum go through the same thing, I felt less alone.”
After catching coronavirus in April 2020, Allie felt she “never really recovered”. She struggled with extreme exhaustion and pain for two years, assuming it was long covid, before speaking to her doctor about a lump on her neck on February 4 last year.
After visiting a doctor at Nuffield Hospital, Glasgow, Allie was put on the waiting list for a biopsy. On leaving the appointment, she called her mum who revealed that she too was waiting for a biopsy on a lump she had also found on her neck.
She said: “Mum said she was going through the exact same thing and that it was probably nothing to worry about. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone.”
Helen had her biopsy March 8 last year, and Allie had hers the following day. The procedure was “incredibly traumatic”, she said, and involved being injected with a fine needle to extract fluid from the mass - all while being kept awake.
Allie claims she knew almost immediately that her lump was cancerous, and two weeks later, her fears were confirmed. She said: “I knew from the looks on the doctors faces that it was bad news.
“The vibe in the room was just tense. They could tell right away it was cancer, but we had to wait around two weeks after the biopsy to get the official diagnosis.”
Allie was diagnosed with stage one thyroid cancer on March 31 but felt “optimistic” after doctors reassured her that she had a 97 per cent chance of survival. She was booked to have the tumour removed on April 13 last year.
Helen’s results were inconclusive, and she was also booked to have her lump removed, three weeks later by the same surgeon. Surgeon Mr Omar Hilmi said: “It is always very important to get any lump in the neck checked .
“Thyroid conditions can be common in families and I was pleased to assist these ladies through the process of gaining a diagnosis and then treating the problem.”
Speaking about the ordeal, Allie said: “It was really scary to be told I had cancer at just 25. I broke down, it was awful. But we caught it early and I was really lucky.
“The surgery was scary, but it was really comforting to go through it with my mum. Although hers wasn’t cancerous, she could still relate.”
Helen said “It was pretty awful to go through everything with my daughter. As a mum you put your family first, and I was much more worried about Allie’s lump than my own.
“She was so brave about it, and so analytical. She just wanted to get through it, which helped me. She had her surgery before me so I had a rough idea of what I’d go through. We supported each other through it.”
After a few days of radioactive iodine treatment, Allie is now cancer free. Allie said: “It was a really tough year but I’m out the other side now. It’s also very unlikely that the cancer will come back, so now I just want to get on with my life. I got married this year, and I’m excited to put my cancer behind me and move on.”
Helen said: “It’s fantastic to know Allie is cancer free. It’ll always be a worry, but it’s great to know she’s healthy.
“We’ll make sure she’s checked more regularly now to make sure it doesn’t come back. I’m so proud of Allie, she’s such an inspiration to other young people by speaking out about getting checked.”
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