Kiera Echols Survives Tumor That Left Her Feeling Sick, Possessed
A rare benign tumor convinced Kiera Echols she was possessed by a demon.
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April 2 , 2010
In November of last year, Kiera Echols began to feel ill. She experienced fever and body chills and suspected she had the flu. The 22-year-old eventually passed out about two weeks after the symptoms had presented themselves, and was taken to the hospital. It was there that she was diagnosed with meningitis and sent home after six days, according to Cincinnati.com.
However, Echols soon began hallucinating and became convinced she was possessed by a demon, the news source reports.
When she returned to the hospital, it was revealed that Echols was suffering from a rare benign tumor, called a teratoma, on her ovary. Her immune system had formed strong antibodies to the growth, which resulted in her psychotic behavior.
"She was totally insane when she came in, to the point where she would lunge at you, thinking she had to defend herself against you," Dr Ed Richards told the news provider. "And a few days after the surgery, she was pretty much back to normal."
Echols is fortunate her tumor wasn't malignant, as ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer in women and ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death. But, the sooner the disease is detected the better the prognosis. In fact, 70 percent of women who do not survive were diagnosed when the disease was already advanced.
In addition to early detection, prevention efforts may reduce one's risk of developing the disease. Women who take birth control pills or undergo surgical procedures such as tubal ligation or hysterectomy are less likely to develop the disease.
The American Cancer Society offers valuable information and resources for those who are diagnosed with the condition.
In November of last year, Kiera Echols began to feel ill. She experienced fever and body chills and suspected she had the flu. The 22-year-old eventually passed out about two weeks after the symptoms had presented themselves, and was taken to the hospital. It was there that she was diagnosed with meningitis and sent home after six days, according to Cincinnati.com.
However, Echols soon began hallucinating and became convinced she was possessed by a demon, the news source reports.
When she returned to the hospital, it was revealed that Echols was suffering from a rare benign tumor, called a teratoma, on her ovary. Her immune system had formed strong antibodies to the growth, which resulted in her psychotic behavior.
"She was totally insane when she came in, to the point where she would lunge at you, thinking she had to defend herself against you," Dr Ed Richards told the news provider. "And a few days after the surgery, she was pretty much back to normal."
Echols is fortunate her tumor wasn't malignant, as ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer in women and ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death. But, the sooner the disease is detected the better the prognosis. In fact, 70 percent of women who do not survive were diagnosed when the disease was already advanced.
In addition to early detection, prevention efforts may reduce one's risk of developing the disease. Women who take birth control pills or undergo surgical procedures such as tubal ligation or hysterectomy are less likely to develop the disease.
The American Cancer Society offers valuable information and resources for those who are diagnosed with the condition.
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