This viewer made a lifesaving observation.
Victoria Price, who works for WFLA News in Florida in the US, learnt she had cancer after a viewer spotted a lump in her neck, People reports.
Taking to Twitter, Victoria explained that as a journalist covering the coronavirus pandemic over the past few months, she wasn’t thinking about her health.
“As a journalist, it’s been full throttle since the pandemic began. Never-ending shifts in a never-ending news cycle,” she wrote.
“Adjusting to remote workflows and in my case, taking on a new investigative role. We were covering the most important health story in a century, but my own health was the farthest thing from my mind.”
She went on to say that she received an email last month from a concerned viewer.
“Hi, I just saw your news report. What concerns me is the lump on your neck,” the letter from the viewer stated.
“Please have your thyroid checked. Reminds me of my neck. Mine turned out to be cancer. Take care of yourself.”
After receiving the mail, Victoria decided to go to the doctor to have it checked out, FoxNews reports.
The doctor confirmed she has cancer and that the lump was the result of a tumour in the middle of her thyroid.
“Turns out I have cancer. And I owe it to one of our wonderful @WFLA viewers for bringing it to my attention. I’ll be off work for a bit after tomorrow, but I’ll see y’all soon,” Victoria tweeted.
A bit of ~personal news~ to share.
— victoria price (@WFLAVictoria) July 23, 2020
Turns out, I have cancer. And I owe it to one of our wonderful @WFLA viewers for bringing it to my attention.
I’ll be off work for a bit after tomorrow, but I’ll see y’all soon ?? pic.twitter.com/UMsoj2SjtM
“Had I never received that email, I never would’ve
called my doctor. The cancer would’ve continued to spread. It’s a scary and
humbling thought.”
To get rid of the tumour, Victoria will undergo surgery on 27 July but won’t need chemotherapy, USA Today reports.
“The doctor says it’s spreading, but not too much, and we’re hopeful this will be my first and last procedure,” she said.
The investigative reporter says she’ll be forever grateful that a stranger reached out to her.
“The world is a tough place these days,” Victoria concluded. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Take care of each other.”
