Deborah Norville, an anchor on the TV show Inside Edition, underwent cancer surgery Tuesday to remove a thyroid nodule after a viewer spotted a lump on her neck.
Years ago, an unidentified, eagle-eyed viewer reached out to Norville, now 60, after they spotted an abnormal-looking bump sticking out of the anchor’s neck. Norville said that she had never noticed it before but immediately went to the doctor to get it checked out.
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At the time, the doctor told her it was “nothing,” just a thyroid nodule. But every year, the pair did a check to make sure it didn’t grow or transform.
“For years, it was nothing. Until recently, it was something,” Norville said. In a video posted to the show’s YouTube channel, she said that the lump was a “very localized form of cancer.”
“We live in a world of ‘see something, say something,’ and I’m really glad we do,” Norville said in the video.
“There will be no chemo, I’m told, no radiation, but I will have surgery and I’ll be away for a bit,” she clarified. “If you believe in prayer, please say one for me and for my surgeon, and I thank you very much.”
Post-surgery, Norville posted an image to her Instagram account saying: “Everything went great.”
She also wrote that she is “overwhelmed by the kindness and good wishes” she’s received from readers and viewers since her announcement.
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Inside Edition‘s weekend anchor, Diane McInerney, will be taking Norville’s place while she recuperates.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, thyroid nodules are usually benign and don’t show any signs or symptoms. A small number of them contain cancer cells, which can easily be detected in a biopsy.