Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Papillary Thyroid Cancer, also known as Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, is the most common type of thyroid cancer. Seen most often between the ages 30-50, Columbia University Medical Center states“...it is the fastest growing cancer with over 20,000 new cases a year.” Although the causes of this cancer are unknown, doctors seem to think that it is passed down through the family tree. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, papillary thyroid cancer has a very good prognosis, with more than 95 percent of cancer patients surviving at least 10 years after their diagnosis(UMM). Maritza Popp, a cured patient of papillary thyroid carcinoma, can remember the day she got the tragic news of her cancer. “ My reaction to the discovery was shock, sadness, and the automatic assumption of death. What about my kids? Just question after question running through my head. I had been to three different doctors before I was finally diagnosed with stage 4 Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma. I was terrified. My husband of the time was deployed in Iraq, and I had two small children with my third on the way. I had no clue what I was going to do if something happened to me and I couldn’t keep my kids safe. I remember having to teach my 5 year old daughter how to unlock the door and dial …show more content…
“Looking back now, I was so young when my mom was diagnosed, but I can still remember sitting in a hospital room with her, worrying if she would be okay. My dad was gone and I felt like I really needed to step up and help my mom out with my brother. I was so happy for her when she was told her cancer was gone, but there’s always that dreaded feeling that it could come back again. My mom is a fighter though. She faced a battle with her cancer and won, and at the end of the day, my mom will always be my greatest hero.”(Micaela