A social media influencer has revealed how a massage saved her life after it uncovered a rare tumour that almost cost the model her face – and now she’s warning others.
Elaina St James regularly hits the headlines for sharing her saucy snaps online.
But the 56-year-old has now opened up about a “life-changing” experience that could have changed the course of her life.
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Taking to Instagram, she revealed the personal health battle in a bid to save lives and to push for the importance of always getting a second doctor’s opinion.
And says a massage “saved her life”.
“This took a lot for me to decide to share with the public,” reads the Instagram post, which has nearly 10,000 likes.
“It’s not my typical, happy, smiley flirty type of Reel, but I thought it was important to reveal my cancer story.
“Maybe I could save a life or improve somebody’s outcome after a diagnosis.”
Elaina, who has 442,000 followers on Instagram (@ElainaStJames), recalls how her massage therapist felt a lump along her upper jaw – and questioned if she was aware of it.
She said: “I froze in confusion and then my heart sank when they suggested getting it checked.
“The experience was terrifying.
“When doctors diagnosed me and told me that it was a tumour, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“They told me the only option I had was to undergo invasive surgery, as it needed to be removed as soon as possible.
“But this could leave me with temporary or permanent facial paralysis – as well as a giant scar.”
Elaina, from Chicago, US, was left with an “impossible” choice to make.
As the procedure involved cutting from the top of her temple down to the base of her neck, she sought out a second opinion.
The specialist reassured her that while there were no guarantees, the surgery only involved cutting around the area, followed by reconstruction – which was his own technique – minimising the risk of paralysis or scars.
After four hours, the procedure was complete and the biopsy showed that the parotid gland tumour was malignant; meaning it was cancerous.
While her muscles remained undamaged, she struggled to see her face for the first time, since it was discoloured and swollen.
Elaina said: “I’m not a shallow person but everyone worries about their face.
“I was concerned that I might not be able to communicate, talk or move my muscles again.
“My face didn’t look like my own.”
Elaina eventually received a call from her doctor, who confirmed that if she didn’t have the tumour removed right then, it’s likely she wouldn’t have survived.
She said: “It had started spreading already, but thankfully, I got it caught early enough.
“I thought I was invincible.
“I was successful, travelling every week and thought that in the near future, I’d find a husband to start a family with.
“But all of that almost got taken away in an instant.
“I still believe that massage saved my life.”
The model says that the ordeal taught her to embrace life and become “greedy for joy”.
Now, she’s sharing her journey to push people to listen to their bodies.
Elaina added: “It’s [this experience] taught me a different perspective on life – everything can be changed in an instant.
“I bought my own home, travelled and took chances.
“I became more aware of my own mortality, and I knew I needed to start living my life.
“I didn’t want to procrastinate anymore, be a workaholic and I decided to make the most of each day.
“My advice to anyone worried about their health is to always seek out medical support.
“As it could be a matter of life or death.
“If even one person acts on a suspicious lump or gets that second opinion, then sharing my story will have been worth it.
“It might save someone’s life.
“Don’t ignore physical signs.
“It can be life-changing – and life-saving.
“A massage saved my life, a second opinion saved my face, but I had to act on that.
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here today.”
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