As a child, EJ Beck was treated for a rare pediatric thyroid cancer at NYU Langone Health. About 10 years after the scan that declared her cancer-free, Beck was accepted into her No. 1 choice for a medical school: NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Her transformation from pediatric patient to aspiring doctor offers a glimpse into NYU Langone’s impact on shaping future clinicians, and one woman’s mission to honor—and join—those who saved her life.
Thyroid cancer’s sneaky beginnings
Beck’s parents were vigilant with her medical care, but it wasn’t until a chance dermatology appointment that a doctor noticed a lump protruding from the middle of Beck’s neck. The truth emerged shortly after: a rare, risky pediatric thyroid tumor had made its home in her neck and was at risk of spreading.
“I was 10,” recalled Beck. “I didn’t grasp the full weight of the diagnosis, but I remember the kindness of everyone at NYU Langone who cared for me. They made us all feel supported—not just me, but my parents too.”
Navigating treatment: A child’s perspective on cancer care
“A painless neck should always be checked sooner rather than later,” said Kepal N. Patel, MD, who was Beck’s doctor and who is now chief of the Division of Endocrine Surgery and a leading surgeon in NYU Langone’s Thyroid Program. “Having a large tumor in a tiny neck can pose an increased risk to surrounding structures and increase the risk of surgery. The tumor can involve nerves to the vocal cords, affect their voice, and spread to lymph nodes. We had to move quickly to avoid these concerns.”
Thyroid cancer is uncommon in childhood, and Beck’s case was quite rare, something not usually seen even in a high-volume practice. It was a major responsibility—a large tumor in a small neck, with the child’s wellbeing and normal life at risk.
Dr. Patel performed a total thyroidectomy with a neck dissection, a surgery is which the entire thyroid was removed, along with surrounding impacted lymph nodes. This saved Beck’s life while still preserving her ability to speak. Although voice changes are possible after a thyroidectomy, her voice remained the same, thanks to the team’s careful work in avoiding damage to her vocal cords.
Following surgery, Beck received radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment. RAI therapy is often used after a thyroidectomy when the cancer has spread. It helps kill off any remaining cancer cells and prevents recurrence.
“I got very good at lying still under scans,” Beck said. Amid the fatigue and wear of treatments, even the brief walk from the subway to the hospital felt impossibly long.
Beck had the added responsibility of taking radiation precautions during treatment to protect her family members, particularly her young sisters. Being around such radiation can be a risk factor for cancer down the line.
Her parents and grandparents worked as a team to shield Beck from the unnatural expectations of resilience often put on sick children. But when some other kids were having the most carefree moments of their lives, Beck’s was filled with anxiety. She said she still nervously checks her neck for lumps, even when she gets something as innocuous as a cold.
The decision to pursue medicine
After entering remission, Beck viewed hospital life as something she needed to put behind her. It wasn’t until she attended a graduation for high school students who were pediatric cancer survivors that it hit her, helped along by the fact that her longtime oncologist retired that very year. Suddenly she knew that more than anything else, she wanted to give back to the same field that had saved her life.
We [the patients] did this amazing thing at such young ages. We are here, and we are able to choose what our next phase of life will look like. The fact that I was graduating from being a cancer patient at the same time this physician who had meant so much to me was retiring solidified my next move.”
EJ Beck, NYU Langone Health
When the email arrived announcing her acceptance to NYU Grossman School of Medicine—off the waitlist, no less—Beck was stunned. “I had to process it for quite a few minutes,” she laughs. “I needed to make sure it was legit before I called everyone I knew. I just could not believe I was headed to a top institution with a guarantee of walking out of here without any debt. It means that all that I and the friends I have met here have to worry about is becoming the best physicians we can be.”
Another wave of emotion hit Beck when she walked into the hospital to start classes. “It was the same entrance that I remembered as a child, and I was walking through those doors a completely new person. I was looking at all the other patients who were walking in right next to me and understanding what it was like to be in their shoes.”
A mosaic of experiences: Shaping the future of healthcare
As Beck begins her medical education, she finds herself part of a remarkably diverse and capable cohort. She likens her classmates to Swiss Army knives—those who will bring not just knowledge and skill to their practice, but also deep wells of empathy born from personal experience to serve any patient who walks through their doors.
Beck now regularly makes the same walk from the subway to the hospital that as a patient, she once found so difficult, and each time, she’s struck with the gratitude for how far she’s come. Her cancer experience has informed many parts of the physician she hopes to be, including making sure patients are properly informed about precautions to take during radiation treatments and how it’s essential that clinicians examine patients with an eye on their full health picture. But most of all, she values recognizing her patients’ and families’ humanity alongside their cancer—because yes, she does aspire to be a pediatric oncologist one day.
