Not everyone likes to watch TV and that’s perfectly understandable.
But as it turns out, it can actually save your life — as discovered Nicole McGuinness, 32.
She recently participated in a television series to celebrate, among other things, her recovery from a brain tumor.
But a doctor who happened to be watching the program reacted immediately when he noticed something strange on Nicole’s throat.
The discovery was as unexpected as life-saving as it led to the beginning of an incomparable story.
In December 2015, at just 29 years old, Nicole was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had a tumor.
By the end of that year, she had underwent an operation to remove the cancerous tumor, followed by daily doses of radiation therapy.
This continued through until 2016, as Nicole fought hard to return to normal life.
Finally, on her 30th birthday, she celebrated her victory over cancer.
A few years later in 2018, Nicole participated in the television program “Beachfront Bargain Hunt”, broadcast on HGTV.
New York-based Dr. Erich Voigt happened to be watching the program, and soon his eyes caught sight of something on the side of 32-year-old Nicole’s neck: a small lump. He immediately recognized it as a potential cancer symptom and decided to trace her down and let her know his suspicions, writes ABC News.
“It’s just a miracle in my opinion that he happened to see this on TV,” a grateful Nicole says.
Tracing her down
“As a head and neck surgeon, I’m trained to sort of notice these things,” Dr. Voigt told ABC.
The doctor could have ignored what he saw, but instead, he thought of Nicole’s well-being and traced her down, which required a certain amount of detective work.
He made a call on Facebook, posting a clip from the TV series and asking his friends to help him track the woman down.
“I am watching a tv show and notice this woman has a left thyroid mass. She needs a sonogram and fine needle biopsy,” he wrote on his Facebook page, adding: “I wonder if she knows and hope it’s benign.”
He eventually got a tip that the woman on the show was Nicole McGuinness, from Havelock, North Carolina.
Nicole took the doctor’s sound advice and went straight to the hospital for tests. Unfortunately, she learned that she had thyroid cancer.
At the moment she is currently undergoing treatment and Nicole is also planning to meet Voigt.
“I can’t express how grateful I am,” she says.
Dr. Voigt is now cautiously optimistic and believes Nicole will defeat cancer again.
“Given that the cancer was discovered relatively early and before experiencing any symptoms, there is a better chance of recovery,” he says.
This story is also an example of how new technology and social media sometimes do good, adds Dr. Voigt.
“Social media can create fake news and negative feelings — but this time it was used in a good and positive way. It helped someone. It connected people.”
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We totally agree with you Dr. Voigt! Thank you for your skills and not giving up before advising Nicole of her dangerous cancer tumor.
Now we are hopeful that Nicole will overcome her cancer — like and share if you agree!
