Alisha Andrews-Simmons was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2017 at the age of 28. She learned that she had papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type. Up to 85% of people who get differentiated thyroid cancer have this one. Fortunately, papillary thyroid cancer is very treatable and has an over 99% 5-year survival rate. But it has still had a dramatic impact on Andrews-Simmons’s life. Here’s what her treatment journey has looked like and what she wants others to know about differentiated thyroid cancer.
A Surprise Diagnosis
Andrews-Simmons was at a routine physical when her doctor felt a growth on her neck. She was immediately sent for an ultrasound, which revealed several suspicious lumps. “There were two that concerned my doctors because of their size,” she recalls. A thyroid biopsy revealed that she had papillary thyroid cancer.
While it was initially a shock, when she looked back, Andrews-Simmons says there were definite signs.
“I worked in my state senate, where I was go-go-go all the time,” she says. “I assumed I was always exhausted because I was constantly running around. But in hindsight I think it was because my body was fighting cancer.”
The diagnosis felt particularly scary to Andrews-Simmons because both of her parents had died of cancer: her mother of cervical cancer and her father of pancreatic cancer.
“I felt relief when my doctors told me about thyroid cancer’s high survival rate, but it was definitely frightening given my family history,” she says.
The Road to Recovery
Two weeks after her diagnosis, Andrews-Simmons had a thyroidectomy, or surgical removal of her entire thyroid. It was an outpatient procedure, although she did need about a week to recover.
“Some people bounce back very quickly from this type of thyroid surgery, but I really needed to stay home and rest,” she says.
Since her thyroid was removed, she needed to go on levothyroxine, or synthetic thyroid hormone.
But Andrews-Simmons wasn’t quite in the clear yet. A follow-up thyroid scan a couple of months later revealed trace amounts of thyroid tissue.
"My thyroid cancer doctor suggested we just watch it, but I really felt strongly that I wanted to get it out of my body,” she says.
She chose a treatment called radioactive iodine to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue.
This treatment was more grueling than the surgery she’d had before. Andrews-Simmons had to follow a low-iodine diet for 2 weeks before she began treatment, which meant no salt whatsoever. She then had to get three injections of a substance called thyrogen to raise levels of thyroid hormones in her body. But the real shock came the day of treatment.
“I was brought into a room by staff in full hazmat gear, including gloves and lead vests,” she recalls.
Once there, she had to swallow two radioactive pills at once.
“At one point, I tried to take one out of my mouth and they freaked out,” she says. “They didn’t want any exposure to these medicines whatsoever.”
After that, she had to stay in an isolated, shielded hospital room for a couple of days, and once she went home, she remained in isolation for another week.
“I lived with my brother at that time, and I never went out of my room except to go to the bathroom,” she recalls.
After this treatment, Andrews-Simmons's eyes constantly watered. “My doctors didn’t tell me the radioactive iodine could affect your tear ducts: mine closed, so I was always crying,” she says. She eventually required surgery to reopen them.
One silver lining was that Andrews-Simmons met her now-husband a couple of months after her thyroidectomy. He was there for her as she recuperated and went through her radioactive iodine treatment. “There were days when I was so tired I couldn’t get out of bed, and he’d cook for me and encourage me to move so I could feel better,” she says.
Dealing With Survivor’s Guilt
Today, Andrews-Simmons is cancer free. But her journey with thyroid cancer forced her to make some major life changes, such as leaving her job in government to become an independent consultant.
“I couldn’t keep up with the hectic pace, and I needed a job where I could make more money to pay medical bills and for additional supplements,” she says.
She also faced a learning curve as she and her doctors got her thyroid hormone levels just right.
“We experimented with several different dosages over a 3-year period,” she says.
During that time, she often had fatigue so severe she’d spend days in bed. Her thyroid hormone levels also required close monitoring in 2021 during her pregnancy.
Andrews-Simmons now takes a slew of over-the-counter supplements that include selenium, zinc, and vitamin D.
“When you no longer have a thyroid, you’re more susceptible to vitamin deficiencies because your body simply can’t absorb nutrients as well as it used to,” she explains. She also avoids soy since it can interfere with her thyroid medication.
Andrews-Simmons is grateful for her life now, which includes a fulfilling job, a loving husband, and two beautiful children. But she grapples with what she terms “survivor’s guilt.”
“Thyroid cancer is a relatively easy cancer to cope with, compared to others,” she said. “I feel guilty that I beat cancer, while my own parents couldn’t.”
Her advice to others who have been recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer? Take it one day at a time.
“Thyroid cancer is definitely not a death sentence, but it’s a major life adjustment,” she says. “Moving forward, your life will never be the same. Try to nourish yourself during this process, and give yourself time to heal.”
One of the most important things you can do is accept your body as it is post-cancer, Andrews-Simmons adds. “It’s like wanting your high school body back – it just won’t happen,” she says. “I need more rest than I did before. When I’m tired, I sit down and make a list of things I can remove from my plate so I can get the quality of life that I need.”
Andrews-Simmons still has days where she feels wiped or she’s anxious that her cancer may someday return.
“I remind myself that I’m human and it’s OK to feel this way,” she says. “But I try to focus on the things that are important to me, like my family, rather than dwell on things I can’t control. It’s given me a healthier perspective on life.”
Show Sources
Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images
SOURCES:
Alisha Andrews-Andrews-Simmons, 34, consultant and thyroid cancer advocate.
American Cancer Society: “Survival Rates for Thyroid Cancer.”
MD Anderson Cancer Center: “Papillary Thyroid Cancer: 8 Questions, Answered.”
