By Anna Ballweber
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A 20-year-old college student from the Fargo-Moorhead area is turning her unexpected cancer diagnosis into a mission for awareness after being diagnosed with Stage 3A ovarian cancer, a disease typically seen in women over 60.
Lily Thoreson was living the typical college experience just over a year before graduation, spending her days at tailgates cheering on her favorite team.
That all changed when mild abdominal pain began affecting her.
“I excused a lot of the symptoms for like two weeks. I had bloating on and off for like two weeks. I thought it was just normal girl things,” Thoreson said.
As a nursing student, Thoreson’s medical education proved crucial. It wasn’t until she learned about various cancers in class that she decided to seek medical attention. She was admitted to the hospital and underwent surgery.
“I got my left ovary and fallopian tube removed as well as the huge mass on it,” she said.
Doctors discovered a mass almost the size of a football, leading to her Stage 3A ovarian cancer diagnosis.
More than half of all ovarian cancers are detected in women over 60, with most cases diagnosed after menopause. Thoreson was diagnosed with teratomas, a type of ovarian cancer that is common but rarely cancerous.
At just 20 years old, she’s now using her journey to advocate for greater awareness.
“Teratomas is the type of cancer I have, and they’re so common, but they’re super rare to be cancerous. I just feel like ovarian cancer is just not talked about enough,” she said.
Before beginning chemotherapy, Thoreson will undergo an egg retrieval procedure to preserve her ability to have children in the future. She starts chemotherapy on Monday after having a port installed.
She added, “Parts of it, I haven’t even really taken in yet until yesterday when I got my port put in, and it was like, okay, this is the next step as I start chemo on Monday.”
Despite the unforeseen path ahead, Thoreson is maintaining hope and keeping her connections close as she begins treatment.
A Lend-A-Hand-Up page has been established to support Thoreson during her treatment.
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