A US journalist has thanked a viewer for alerting her to a lump in her neck after it was diagnosed as a cancerous growth.
Victoria Price, a reporter for Florida broadcaster WFLA, said that she will undergo surgery next week to remove the tumour from her neck after a concerned viewer brought it to her attention following an on-air broadcast.
Ms Price will also have her thyroid and some lymph nodes removed.
"A viewer emailed me last month," Ms Price wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
"She saw a lump on my neck. Said it reminded her of her own. Hers was cancer. Turns out, mine is too."
The viewer's email, which Ms Price shared a screenshot of in her Tweet, read: "Hi, just saw your news report. What concerned me is the lump on your neck.
"Please have your thyroid checked. Reminds me of my neck. Mine turned out to be cancer. Take care of yourself."
Ms Price, an investigative reporter, said she had been working "full throttle" since the ongoing coronavirus pandemic erupted and that her own health had become the "farthest thing" from her mind amid the crisis.
"Had I never received that email, I never would have called my doctor," she wrote.
"The cancer would have continued to spread. It's a scary and humbling thought.
"I will forever be grateful to the woman who went out of her way to email me, a total stranger. She had zero obligation to, but she did anyway.
"I couldn't be more grateful."
The journalist also revealed doctors had told her the cancer was "spreading, but not too much" and they were confident next week's surgery will be her "first and last procedure".
She concluded: "The world is a tough place these days. Don't forget to take care of yourself. Take care of each other."
WFLA News shared Price's statement on Twitter, commenting: "Our WFLA family is sending all of our love to @WFLAVictoria and wishing her a speedy recovery."
