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Old Speaks Out About the Unusual Symptom that Led to Her ‘Horrifying’ Cancer Diagnosis
AOL.com • • health
Key Points:
- Aida Burkins, a 22-year-old mother of two from Hemet, California, discovered her ears wouldn't pop after a flight in May 2025, later developing hearing loss and throat bleeding.
- Initially misdiagnosed with altitude sickness, Burkins was eventually referred to an ENT specialist who found a suspicious mass and inflamed adenoids.
- In February 2026, after scans and biopsies, she was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare cancer affecting the upper throat and base of the skull.
- Burkins has undergone chemotherapy and radiation, with doctors reporting a positive response to treatment and an optimistic prognosis.
- She hopes her story raises awareness that cancer can affect anyone and credits her children as her motivation to keep fighting.
