CANCER SURVIVOR, 25, SHARES POWERFUL REMINDER FOR THOSE FACING A DIAGNOSIS

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Cancer survivor Zoe Plastiras hopes her message provides some reassurance by highlighting advances in cancer treatment.

Just the word "cancer" is enough to fill many people with fright, but one 25-year-old has told Newsweek she is determined to show that a diagnosis—while incredibly challenging—need not mean death sentence.

Zoe Plastiras overcame her diagnosis of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) in October 2024, and has gained a large following on TikTok and Instagram of people who became invested in the highs and lows of her journey back to health.

She took to TikTok in February 2024, while still undergoing treatment, with a candid message about the mental toll of cancer—and how advancements in treatment have transformed the disease.

Her positive and reassuring tone about the survivability of many cancers has struck a chord with viewers online. The video, shared under @zoeplastiras has since garnered more than 82,000 likes as it challenges the perception of cancer as a death sentence and offers reassurance to those who fear it.

"I was trying to help people with health anxiety from a cancer patient's view of actually having a disease that everyone fears," Plastiras, who also posts on Instagram under @lymphomaawarenesszoe, told Newsweek. "I used the words 'nine times out of ten' flippantly … They are not facts and I did not realize the clip would blow up this way, otherwise, I would have got proper statistics.

"I just wanted to emphasize how far cancer research has come, and that a cancer diagnosis does not always end in death."

Plastiras, from Buckinghamshire, England, has told viewers: "If you have health anxiety, then you need to listen to me because I have cancer, and I am going to help you … Pretty much nine times out of ten nowadays you are not going to die. Cancer research has come so far."

Plastiras, who documented her journey with the rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma on social media, says that she never expected her short video to resonate with such a large audience.

The mother of one, who discovered she had cancer during her pregnancy, was trying to provide comfort from the perspective of someone living through a condition often seen as terrifying—especially for those living with health anxiety or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

While cancer deaths are down 33 percent since 1991 in the U.S, the disease is still feared. A 2022 study conducted in the U.K, showed 56 percent of respondents fear a cancer diagnosis above any other illness, including heart disease and COVID-19.

Diagnosed at 22 while pregnant, Plastiras faced a grueling battle that included chemotherapy and other intensive treatments. On October 16, 2024, she received the life-changing news that after two years of treatment, she was officially cancer free.

Her social media presence, which grew during her illness, continues to offer inspiration as she shares recovery updates and reflections on life with her family after cancer.

Zoe Plastiras poses for a selfie after being told that she is in remission. Credit: @ZOEPLASTIRAS / @LYMPHOMAAWARENESSZOE  

In her 2024 video, Plastiras addressed a more specific audience than usual: people with health anxiety. The condition goes beyond an expected degree of concern about health.

It manifests as an obsessive fear that minor or natural physical symptoms indicate the presence of serious illness, and those worries begin to take over the sufferer's life.

Unlike general worry, health anxiety can significantly disrupt a person's daily life, causing excessive doctor visits or, conversely, complete avoidance of medical care due to fear of a devastating diagnosis.

For Plastiras, the message was about alleviating that fear with hope.

"Yes, it will be devastating news," she said in the video, "but pretty much nine times out of ten nowadays you are not going to die."

She urged viewers not to immediately assume the worst or catastrophize, emphasizing that "there are so many treatments out there that you could be cancer free in three months."

Dr. Heather L. Hinshelwood, a board-certified emergency physician with 25 years of experience, echoed Plastiras' optimism while adding professional insight into the evolving landscape of cancer treatment. Hinshelwood said that immune-based therapies have revolutionized oncology, especially for advanced-stage cancers once deemed terminal.

"When I started medical school, a diagnosis of 'stage 4 lung cancer' was a death sentence," Hinshelwood told Newsweek. "Now, after the start of immune therapy-based oncology, stage 4 lung cancer is a chronic disease that you live with rather than dying from quickly.

"Immune-based cancer therapies are currently revolutionizing oncology and changing the conversations we have with patients when diagnosing them."

Despite the progress, Hinshelwood also highlighted that not all the challenges of a cancer diagnosis are medical. Emotional distress, shaped by patients' past experiences or hospital settings, can complicate their journey, especially for those who have or are prone to anxiety disorders.

"I live and practice in the rural south," she said. "I often hear, 'I don't know that I can do this … My mom died in the ICU here, and being here brings back so many sad memories.'"

The intersection of mental health and medical care is particularly relevant for people with health anxiety, who may require more than reassurances about survival rates.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) stresses that health anxiety can be managed through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medication, and mindfulness practices aimed at breaking the cycle of catastrophic thinking.

Plastiras's TikTok video, however, taps into something immediate and universally resonant: the power of hope. By showing her own vulnerability and the harsh realities of treatment alongside her current status as cancer free, she provides viewers with a tangible example of resilience.

Dr. Daniel Landau, an oncologist, hematologist and contributor to The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, agreed that cancer care has come a long way in recent years.

"We have indeed seen a change in the mantra of how we treat cancers," Landau told Newsweek. "Historically, most of our options have relied on power chemotherapies, which I compare to dropping a bomb.

"There has been a shift toward therapies that try to engage our body's immune system to do the work for us, avoid a lot of the toxicities of chemotherapy, and create longer-lasting effects, and for many cancers, this shift means we are curing more people than ever and controlling diseases better than we ever have before."

The oncologist added that despite the strides forward, not every cancer type responds to newer therapies and treatments, and some cancers still require chemotherapy or show resistance.

While these novel options have allowed for the better control of cancers in ways that professionals like Landau never thought possible, work is still left to be done.

Fortunately, Plastiras got the all clear two years after she was diagnosed. Reflecting on her recovery, Plastiras said she is grateful not only for the medical advancements she has benefited from but also to have been able to share her story online with others.

"I'm not downplaying cancer," she said. "But when you are thrown into it, it is mentally easier than you think once it sinks in to get through the treatment."

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