A 34-year-old woman from London sought medical help after a severe cough and difficulty breathing, which she had attributed to COVID-19, failed to go away. The symptoms turned out to be signs of a serious illness.
Mikaela Riley was diagnosed with stage three thymoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the thymus, a gland located in the chest.
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Even 19 days after contracting coronavirus, she was still experiencing symptoms, while her pain and breathing problems were getting worse. Concerned, her mother urged her to go to the emergency department. Tests there revealed a tumor measuring 6.4 centimeters.
The diagnosis marked the beginning of a difficult period for her. At the time, Riley was the mother of an eight-year-old boy. Before undergoing surgery, she had 21 rounds of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor.
In September 2021, she underwent a complex operation lasting around five hours at Guy’s Hospital in London. The tumor had spread near her heart and major blood vessels, so surgeons removed it and reconstructed parts of the blood vessels as well as the pericardium, the membrane surrounding the heart.
Five years after her diagnosis, Riley has beaten the disease. Her doctors say she has recovered and remains cancer-free. After treatment, she became a mother again, giving birth to a daughter without undergoing fertility treatment. However, before chemotherapy, she had her eggs frozen to preserve the possibility of having children in the future.
Riley shares her story to describe her difficult experience and highlight the importance of early detection, especially when symptoms persist or worsen.
