Woman Thinks She's Having an Allergic Reaction — but It’s a Rare Cancer That Affects One in 1 Million People

Mar. 15, 2025

Melinda Nelson experienced severe swelling as a cancer symptom.Photo:Melinda Nelson/SWNS

Melinda Nelson/SWNS

A Florida woman thought her swollen face was a sign of anallergic reaction— but instead, it was a symptom of a rareadrenal gland cancer.

Melinda Nelson, 35, tells South West News Service viaGloucestershire Livethat she was feeling “really good” and working out twice a day when, in January 2021, she noticed her legs “were losing muscle. My face looked a bit rounder.”

Then, she says, “my face started gettingreally big. They call it moon face.”

“My stomach started swelling as well. My hands and feet too. I thought I was having a type ofallergic reaction. I was pretty unrecognizable,” she told the outlet.

She sought medical care and in August, was put on medication for high blood pressure.

Melinda Nelson thought her facial swelling was an allergic reaction, but it was a symptom of a rare cancer.Melinda Nelson/SWNS

However, she says, “my face continued getting really big. My hair started falling out. I developed hair growth on my face. I thought ‘maybe this is hormonal’.”

The St.Petersburg, Fla., resident returned to the doctor, who was concerned about Nelson’s stomach swelling and ordered scans.

That’s when, Nelson says, she was told she had a 16-centimeter tumor on her adrenal gland, a gland that sits on top of the kidneys and produces hormones that manage metabolism, blood pressure, and stress reactions.

“The doctor called me and said ‘I’m 99 percent sure you have this rare cancer,'” she said.

Nelson underwent surgery to remove the tumor, during which they discovered it was actually double the size — and later testing confirmed that she did, indeed, have adrenocortical carcinoma.

It’s a “a rare cancer” in the outermost layer of your adrenal glands, theCleveland Clinicexplains, with 1 in 1 million getting diagnosed a year.

Melinda Nelson in the hospital for adrenocortical carcinoma.Melinda Nelson/SWNS

“It was very shocking, but part of me was so relieved that someone knew something was wrong with me. Living undiagnosed was scarier. Hearing you have cancer at 32 is awful, but I’m glad there was some kind of plan going forward.”

But it’s a cancer that often comes back, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

For Nelson, she was given the upsetting news that her cancer had returned in March 2022.

“We found out the tumors were growing. It was a really scary time for me,” she told the outlet.

Melinda Nelson after completing a triathlon in 2021.Melinda Nelson/SWNS

Nelson, who works with the nonprofit, the Adrenal Cure Collective, as the communications and advocacy coordinator, shares that she’s had a recurrence of tumors in her spine, hips, shoulder, lungs, and liver.

Since August 2022, Nelson has “stable shrinking tumours,” and is living with stage IV cancer.

But for Nelson, the emphasis is on living.

“I hope I don’t have growth again and I outlive the cancer. Cancer is a huge part of my life, but it is not going to define me. There is still so much to life.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

source: people.com