Touching moment caregiver, 21, who has been cleared of cancer, shares the good news with resident who is like her ‘second grandmother’

By Siofra Brennan for Mailonline

Published: 05:37 EST, December 26, 2023 | Updated: 07:31 EST, December 26, 2023

In this heartwarming video, an elderly woman received the wonderful news that her loving caregiver was completely cancer-free.

Senior carer Courtney Nettleton, 21, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was devastatingly diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2022 after feeling so tired she was sleeping 14 hours a day.

She recently got the all clear after undergoing surgery and radiotherapy and was excited to tell Norma, an elderly resident of the care home where she works.

Courtney sees Norma as a second grandmother and couldn’t wait to share the good news.

Senior carer Courtney Nettleton, 21, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, tells Norma she is completely cancer free

Courtney said Norma is like a second grandmother to her and she couldn’t wait to share her good news

Courtney wrote the good news on a card and presented it to Norma, who couldn’t believe what she read.

“I’m so happy,” Norma told Courtney, before becoming overwhelmed with emotion.

“What a nice Christmas present, huh?” replied Courtney.

She says: ‘Norma has been living in the nursing home for a while, she is close to my heart and I see her as a second grandmother.

‘I have everything cleared up now, but I still suffer from the long-term effects such as hair loss and fatigue.

“I wanted to capture the moment I told Normal because it’s been a hard year for me and everyone around me, and I wanted to capture it because it’s a special moment.

‘I found my lump in January 2022, but I had been feeling bad for over a year and the doctors blamed it on teenage laziness.

‘The journey was tough. I have had two operations and one treatment with radioactive iodine.’

Courtney first visited her doctor as a teenager because she was concerned that she felt tired all the time.

She claims she was initially fobbed off and that it was “teenage laziness” because she was sleeping up to 14 hours a day.

Her other symptoms included shortness of breath, hot flashes, unsteadiness, neck stiffness, acne and mood swings.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF Thyroid Cancer?

The main symptom of thyroid cancer is a lump in the front of the neck. But the disease tends to develop slowly and may not cause any symptoms at first.

Thyroid cancer often causes a painless lump or swelling low in the front of the neck.

However, neck lumps are common and are usually caused by a less serious condition, such as an enlarged thyroid gland. Only about 1 in 20 is cancer. A lump is more likely to become cancerous if it:

If you have a swelling or lump in the front of your neck, see your doctor. Although it is unlikely to be cancer, it is important to get it checked out.

Other symptoms include:

– A lump in the neck or throat that may become larger over time

– Difficulty breathing or swallowing

– Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

– A hoarse voice

In rare cases, thyroid cancer can affect the production of thyroid hormones and cause diarrhea and flushing.

Source: NHS Choices

Tests in the summer of 2021 went normally, but she knew something was wrong when she developed a lump on her neck in January 2022.

A month later she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

“I was so devastated and worried,” Courtney said. ‘The doctors told me it was just teenage laziness.

“Thyroid cancer is rare, but I knew deep down that something was wrong, and it was incredibly frustrating to hear that it was just teenage laziness.”

Touching moment caregiver, 21, who has been cleared of cancer, shares the good news with resident who is like her ‘second grandmother’

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF Thyroid Cancer?

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