Healthy-Looking Woman Posts Selfie Just Hours Before Shocking Cancer Diagnosis

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Healthy-Looking Woman Posts Selfie Just Hours Before Shocking Cancer Diagnosis

Meet Vicky Veness. The 30-year-old looks healthy on the outside and had no trouble carrying out her daily tasks even at her physically demanding job.

Vicky Veness/ Facebook

The Cheltenham, UK resident works as a personal trainer and has always taken great care of her body. She eats healthy, exercises regularly and does not smoke.

Vicky Veness

So you can imagine her shock when doctors diagnosed her with Stage 4 lung cancer just hours after the selfie photo was taken. Since most of Vicky's symptoms were hidden, she didn't notice that her health was declining.

Although Vicky is still trying to process the scary news, she is using it to educate the public about the sneakiness of illnesses like cancer and remind them at just because you look healthy doesn't necessarily mean you are.

She shared her post addressing this topic on her Facebook page and it is already going viral.

"This photo was taken a few hours before I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I'm 30 years old, a personal trainer, runner, non smoker and healthy eater," Vicky wrote on Facebook. "When you have cancer you won't necessarily look ill on the outside. The symptoms might be much more subtle and only show themselves occasionally."

In Vicky's case, her general practitioners brushed off her persistent cough as asthma and sent her home. It took 18 months for her to receive a proper diagnosis.

Vicky Veness/Facebook

The fitness fanatic has a big battle ahead of her, but in the meantime she's hoping her story will inspire people to listen to their bodies and "question everything" if they don't feel well. She advises that you "see your doctor, question everything and keep going back until you get the answers you need," it could be the difference between life and death.

Just a warning that this post may be upsetting to read. This photo was taken a few hours before I was diagnosed with...

Posted by Vicky Veness on Saturday, August 12, 2017

"This has been the most emotionally and physically challenging week of my life, but now it's time to fight this!" Vicky concluded.

Aside from cancer, there are lots of other diseases like diabetes that also come with hidden symptoms. So do not skip regular checkups and medical tests.

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.