Jessica Warrington, 31, and her mum, Sarah Voy, 53, were diagnosed with the same cancer within months of each other but their symptoms were dismissed as early menopause and asthma
A mother and daughter from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, who were both diagnosed with the same cancer within months of each other, have revealed that their symptoms were initially dismissed as menopause and asthma by medical professionals.
Jessica Warrington, 31, and her mother, Sarah Voy, 53, say they now lean on each other more than ever following their parallel diagnoses. Jessica, who experienced symptoms such as brain fog, mood swings, headaches, back pain and fatigue, was initially told she might be going through early menopause. Her mum had been dealing with a respiratory condition and neck pain for several years, but it was dismissed as suspected asthma.
In September 2024, Jessica was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and just four months later, her mum received the same news. “It’s awful to be given this devastating news and then hear your mum has it too,” Jessica, a healthcare worker, shared with PA Real Life.
“I would’ve much preferred for me to have all the cancer and deal with it alone. My mum is my best friend, she is everything to me – going through this together, we support each other now more than ever.” Both women underwent surgery to remove the tumours, and Jessica has since been declared cancer-free, while Sarah is awaiting her final results.
The duo, bound together by their shared experience, are urging others to seek a second opinion if they have health concerns. Sarah first noticed something was amiss in December 2019 when she started feeling out of breath and unfit. Within a year, she found herself gasping for air while climbing stairs, prompting her to seek medical advice.
Her GP prescribed an inhaler, suspecting asthma, and dismissed a growing lump on her throat as non-threatening. However, during a trip to Lincoln with friends, Sarah’s struggle to keep up raised alarm bells. “They went on a walk and mum was crawling up the hill and gasping for air,” her daughter Jessica recalled.
A holiday in Mauritius in October 2022 brought another scare when Sarah, usually a confident snorkeller, struggled to breathe and nearly drowned. Seeking answers, Sarah switched GPs and was promptly referred to hospital where she was diagnosed with subglottic stenosis, a rare condition that narrows the windpipe. “When her airway closes, she feels like she is being strangled,” Jessica revealed.
Despite undergoing surgery, the lump on Sarah’s neck continued to grow. Around this time, Jessica also began experiencing symptoms and sought medical advice. “The nurse said ‘everything you’re saying sounds like you have menopause’,” Jessica shared. “I said ‘hopefully not as I’ve just turned 30’.”
Jessica, a mum of three kids aged three, six, and nine, whose names she prefers to keep private, later consulted with a junior doctor who suggested her health issues might be thyroid-related. “He did two blood tests which I will be forever grateful for,” she said.
The tests revealed irregularities, and further examinations in September 2024 confirmed that Jessica was battling thyroid cancer, leading to surgery to remove a growth on the left side of her neck. She shared her initial fears, saying: “The first question I asked was ‘am I going to die?’ as I have three children at home who need me. The thoughts race through your mind and you’re left to deal with every possible scenario.”
Just four months on, in January this year, Sarah faced a mirror image of her daughter’s plight when surgeons extracted a tumour from her throat and diagnosed her with the same type of cancer. Jessica had follicular thyroid cancer, a common yet highly treatable form, while her mother, Sarah, was found to have thyroid microcancer.
Reflecting on the harrowing experience they both endured, Sarah remarked: “What a journey my girl and I have been on, but we have had each other. “I’m forever grateful for her, my family and the amazing medical staff who took me seriously and saved my life not once but possibly twice.”
Jessica has bravely been given the all-clear post-surgery, while Sarah is anxiously waiting to find out if her cancer has spread. Bearing scars on their necks as a testament to their fight, they’ve turned their experience into a mission to increase awareness of thyroid cancer, urging those with symptoms to seek testing.
“If I could help just one person, that would mean the world,” Jessica shared. “Doctors always told me ‘you’re too young to have cancer’ but I had cancer.” Her mother emphasised the disease’s indifference to age and urged: “Cancer cares not of age or who you are. If you feel ill and know your body, and something is wrong, push to be heard. Get second opinions until you are satisfied.”
The duo is rallying support through a GoFundMe campaign, aiming to raise £700 for the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust. Supporters can contribute here.
