Docs thought my back pain was a running injury and sent me to physio

CLARA Cirks was just 30 years old when she was told she had a nine per cent chance of surviving.

The first clues she was sick with an incurable disease was back pain that she had been reassured was linked to running, and she hadn’t wanted to keep bothering her GP.

But with other symptoms niggling away, Clara says she wishes she had taken action earlier, because cancer was violently spreading through her body.

Clara tells Sun Health: “I had so many health issues in 2024 and I wish I would’ve pieced it together more.

“I wish I would’ve seen my primary care doctor way before I finally did.

“I remember thinking how I had so many issues I wanted to address that I didn’t want to be annoying in asking all the questions.”

Clara, from Dallas Center, Iowa, had initially been told she had a herniated disk from running.

But a string of worsening symptoms, including fatigue, vomiting, lightheadedness and fainting spells, eventually revealed the truth.

She actually had stage 4 cancer, which has spread to multiple organs, including her breast, lymph nodes, pelvis, bones, liver and brain.

The back pain was a sign of cancer in her bones, she says.

“I was absolutely devastated,” Clara says.

“I was okay with the cancer being in my body from the neck down, but when they told me it had spread to my brain as well, it shattered me.

“I thought, ‘This is it, I’m going to die’.”

Clara has adenocarcinoma – an aggressive form of cancer that grows in the glands that line the organs.

Her cancer is thought to have begun in the lungs, the symptoms of which is usually a chronic cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and wheezing.

As doctors initially believed Clara had a herniated disc, she was treated with physiotherapy, chiropractic sessions and steroid injections.

But when nothing worked, further tests were carried out.

“Although the herniated disc was a real injury, the severe bone and joint pain surrounding it was attributed to cancer that had spread,” Clara explains. 

I just thought I’m getting fat, or I’m constipated – I didn’t know what was going on

Clara Cirks

An MRI showed weakened bone marrow activity, so doctors did urgent blood tests, which showed Clara had severe anaemia – meaning her blood didn’t have enough healthy red cells to carry oxygen around her body.

The former graphic designer had also previously noticed a lump on her breast and swollen lymph nodes in her neck.

Clara dismissed it at the time, putting her symptoms down to her ongoing back issues.

But her condition took a terrifying turn when she began vomiting uncontrollably and was rushed to A&E.

Scans in January 2025 revealed the sheer severity of her cancer.

Clara says: “When they did my initial CT scan, it showed cancer in multiple areas of my body.

“So it was a shock to learn that not only did I have cancer,  but it had already spread so much.”

She realises now that the headaches she’d had ‘behind the eyes’ were indicative of brain tumours, and extreme bloating was a tumour sitting on her stomach.

“I just thought I’m getting fat, or I’m constipated – I didn’t know what was going on,” she says.

OUTLOOK MOVING FORWARD

“My prognosis is optimistic – given I was prior mostly healthy and because I am so young, my oncology team has faith for me to live for years to come.

“I know that the survival rate for stage 4 lung cancer is only 9 per cent.”

This means that, out of 100 patients with her stage of cancer, only nine are still alive five years post diagnosis. 

Clara says she “plans to be a part of that 9 per cent”.

I was so scared of being ‘annoying’ and bringing a list of issues to discuss with my primary care provider. But at the end of the day, I’m glad I said something

Clara

She has endured five rounds of whole brain radiation, six cycles of chemotherapy and now faces a lifetime on immunotherapy treatment to keep the disease at bay.

But her treatment has not been without complications.

She developed life-threatening sepsis during chemotherapy, spending days in intensive care and weeks in hospital.

Despite the ordeal, Clara is determined to defy the odds.

She says: “I used to live in fear every day that it was my last.

“I was so scared of dying and felt like it was inevitable in the near future.

“However, once I saw scan results that showed treatment was working, it gave me hope and optimism I didn’t have previously.

“I no longer think I’m going to die soon – I have faith I can make it to five years at least.

“My family has been an incredible support system to lean on.

“My mom, dad, brother, as well as multiple aunts and uncles and cousins have been extremely supportive and reliable to assist me.”

Once a fitness enthusiast, Clara has been forced to swap running for gentler hobbies such as yoga and cycling while she continues her recovery.

She now lives with her dad, who helps care for her, and has found new purpose in raising awareness.

She has dreams of skydiving, beach holidays and even getting a dog.

She says: “I’m glad I stood up for myself and advocated for addressing all the problems I had.

“I would say – you know what is normal for your body.

“So if something is off, or continues to be off, speak up.

“I was so scared of being ‘annoying’ and bringing a list of issues to discuss with my primary care provider.

“But at the end of the day, I’m glad I said something – said all of it – because it raised red flags that got the process started for diagnosing me.”