'I was a fit and healthy runner then sign in my neck led to scary diagnosis'

'I was a fit and healthy runner then sign in my neck led to scary diagnosis'Abi Sherratt was fit and healthy, running 5k every day, when a friend noticed something that led to a life-changing diagnosisCommentsNewsElaine Blackburne Network Content Editor07:30, 12 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesAbi Sherratt says her diagnosis came 'out of the blue'(Image: The Institute of Cancer Research)A runner has told how a friend's comment about her neck changed her life with a "scary" diagnosis that came "out of the blue". Abi Sherratt was "fit and healthy" 26-year-old and had even taken part in a challenge to run 5k every day for a month but within days of successfully completing that she was facing a battle for her health that had shown almost no warning signs.‌It was only after a friend noticed that she had a swollen neck that Abi, now 27, had it examined and discovered she had cancer. At the age of 26, in February last year, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer requiring urgent surgery.‌Now, with her treatment complete, she is gearing up to run the London Marathon to demonstrate to herself that she remains capable of tackling demanding challenges after her diagnosis. And she is fundraising for The Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR) – the world-leading research institute and charity - to help discover treatments for others battling the disease.‌View 3 ImagesAbi will be running in the 2026 London Marathon(Image: Getty Images)She said: "My diagnosis was a huge shock and totally unexpected. I was only 26 years old, fit and healthy, and I did not feel at all unwell."In fact, I had just completed a fitness challenge, running 5K every single day of the previous month. Hearing I had cancer was very scary, especially as it was a diagnosis that had come completely out of the blue." Around 4,100 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the UK every year, with papillary thyroid cancer being the most common...