EVEN before she had children, mum-of-two Tameika McBride battled fatigue, mood swings and heart palpitations – but she kept being dismissed by doctors, to the point she thought her symptoms were “in her head”.
“I was anxious all the time, completely drained of energy, and moody and snappy with everyone around me,” she said.
12
12
12
12
“I had brain fog, heart palpitations, hair falling out, dry skin on my hands and feet, and I kept gaining weight no matter what I did.
“Deep down I knew it wasn’t normal.”
The mum kept being told her symptoms were caused by anxiety or the stress of being a parent.
“Every time I went to the doctor, I was told it was postpartum depression, anxiety, or that I was just overthinking things.
“I started to believe maybe it was all in my head.”
After Tameika spotted a swollen lymph node in her neck, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of thyroid cancer that had already spread through her body.
“I never thought I’d be told I had cancer at 29 years old,” the mum, from Adelaide, Australia, said.
After her diagnosis, she realised that clues of her cancer were actually visible in old photos.
“Looking back now, I can even see in photos when my neck started to look different,” Tameika, from Adelaide, Australia, said.
“I always had my thyroid levels checked and they came back normal.
“But I was never sent for a scan or ultrasound, and no one ever examined my neck until this year when the lymph node appeared.”
Tameika has been with her partner, Chris, for 12 years and is mum to a daughter, four, and a son, two.
Like many young mums, she assumed her exhaustion and low mood were linked to sleepless nights and the stress of parenthood.
“Once I had both kids, I thought it was breastfeeding, sleepless nights, even postpartum depression,” she said.
12
12
12
“I was waking during the night breastfeeding exclusively, then spending all day at home with both kids while Chris was at work.
“I kept telling myself to just get on with it.”
In August 2023, just six weeks after giving birth to her son, she was sent by her doctor to A&E because “the left side of [her] thyroid was visibly swollen and tender”
Tameika feared she had postpartum thyroiditis.
Thyroid cancer: What you need to know
What is the thyroid for? The thyroid makes and releases hormones and developing cancer there can be quite rare, according to Cancer Research UK.
How many people are diagnosed a year? Around 3,900 people are diagnosed with it in the UK each year and it’s more common in women than men.
What are the symptoms of thyroid cancer? Initial symptoms can include a lump in your neck. Other symptoms can include a hoarse voice that lasts for more than three weeks and a sore throat and difficulty swallowing that doesn’t get better.
Remember: These symptoms could be caused more mundane conditions – but it’s important to get them seen to by a doctor, as the earlier a cancer is detected the easier it will be to treat.
Doctors ran blood tests and a scan. The results came back normal, indicating some inflammation, but nothing concrete.
“They said they might do another scan and possibly a fine needle aspiration depending on results, but my doctor never pushed for it,” the mum said.
“Then the swelling went away, so I thought whatever it was had gone.”
But in November 2024, while checking her neck, Tameika found a swollen lymph node. She went back to her GP.
“He told me if it didn’t go away in two weeks, come back. He said it was probably nothing, just a virus or sickness.”
Two months later, it was still there. In January 2025, she returned to the doctor and was sent for an ultrasound.
“From that ultrasound, they literally told me it was cancer,” she says.
A CT scan and fine needle biopsy confirmed it.
Just two days before her 30th birthday, she was wheeled into surgery for a total thyroidectomy and left neck dissection.
Surgeons removed her thyroid and 34 lymph nodes. To her horror, 12 of those were found to be cancerous.
They told me it was very high risk and likely to come back. Hearing that broke me
Tameika McBride
“At first we thought it was only in the left lobe of my thyroid,” she says.
“But it ended up being throughout both sides. It was such a shock.”
Shortly after her operation, Tameika was told she had not just papillary thyroid cancer, but a rare and aggressive variant known as Diffuse Sclerosing Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.
“When the doctors explained it, I was devastated,” she says.
“This type spreads more widely and more aggressively than typical thyroid cancer.
“They told me it was very high risk and likely to come back. Hearing that broke me.”
12
12
12
‘Battle never ends’
In July 2025, she underwent Radioactive Iodine Therapy, but follow-up scans revealed that two lymph nodes, one behind her collarbone and one in her chest, were still cancer-positive and would need close monitoring.
“It feels like the battle never ends,” she admitted.
“It’s very scary thinking about more surgeries, or if it spreads somewhere they can’t remove it.
“Stronger treatments are an option, but I’m not keen on them. I just have to hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Tameika has shared her experience on TikTok.
“If I can help one person spot the signs earlier than I did, it’s worth sharing,” she said.
Despite everything, she is determined to remain positive and keep going.
“I don’t get a second chance at life, so I have to give this everything I’ve got,” she says.
“I’m grateful to still be here. I just want to be there for my children as they grow up. That’s all that matters.
“I’ve had so many people reach out with love and support.
“It makes a huge difference when you’re going through something like this.”
The cost of treatment has placed a huge strain on her young family.
With only one income keeping the household afloat, the extra bills for ongoing care and specialist therapies are piling up.
“We’ve got a mortgage, two kids, and never-ending expenses,” she says.
“My partner is working full-time, but with me unable to work right now, it’s tough.
“All I want is to focus on healing and being there for my children, but the financial pressure makes it so much harder.”
To help cover the cost of her medical treatment, Tameika launched a GoFundMe page.
“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me,” she said.
“I just want them to listen to their bodies and never stop fighting for answers.”
12
12
