3. In the Back of My Mind

Courtesy of Gettysburg Flag Works
Did you know that the thyroid cancer
ribbon is the only ribbon with 3 colors?

Someone with thyroid cancer can be treated in two ways: radioiodine (radioactive iodine) and surgery. Surgery is the main course of treatment that doctors would take because a successful surgery could result in completely eliminating the cancer. However, the entire thyroid gland would need to be removed. With radioiodine, if someone is treated with large doses of it, it could eliminate the thyroid cancer cells while inflicting very little to no harm towards other cells. (Office on Women's Health)

It's weird, huh? When one hears "radioactive," they usually get a negative impression and think of it as something that detriments our health. That's what I thought, and especially if I wasn't allowed to even touch the radioiodine pill, how could it possibly benefit my health or help me in any way? But upon further research, there has been studies that have been done to show the effectiveness of radioiodine, especially when used after surgery. Studies also showed that low doses of radioiodine essentially had the same effect as higher doses of radioiodine, causing less exposure to radiation and fewer side effects. (National Cancer Institute)

A couple of weeks later, we went back to our family doctor to hear the results of my tests. I did not have thyroid cancer. The air of the room suddenly felt free and I could almost feel the weight of the world leave the shoulders of my parents and me. The doctor told me that although I was fine for now, my cyst needed to be monitored so that they would be aware of any unusual activity that might occur. In the back of my mind, I know that although I don't have thyroid disease and cancer right now, the chances of me developing it is against me. With my family history, the odds are stacked against me and I believe, without a doubt, that I will develop it in the future.

In 2010, it was estimated that 534,973 people in the United States had thyroid cancer. 1.1% of people are expected to develop thyroid cancer in their life at some point. Thyroid cancer accounted for 3.6% of cancer cases that occurred in 2013, a total of 60,220 people. But thyroid cancer has a 97.7% survival rate and with all the research that I have done, I am confident that this disease is conquerable. (National Cancer Institute)



Works Cited

1. Office on Women's Health. "Thyroid disease fact sheet." Last modified July 16, 2012. http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/thyroid-disease.html
2. National Cancer Institute. "SEER State Fact Sheets: Thyroid Cancer." Last modified April 2013. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/thyro.html
3. National Cancer Institute. "Low-Does Radioactive Iodine Destroys Thyroid Tissue Left after Surgery." Last modified June 7, 2012. http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/summary/2012/radioiodine-thyroid0612