Actress shares shocking before and after thyroid cancer treatment photos

By Angeli Kakade, Buzz60

Facing a health crisis takes courage -- but facing a health crisis publicly in order to help others is hero status.

That's exactly what British actress Lorna Nickson Brown is, after speaking out on her battle with thyroid cancer.

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In a Twitter post, Brown posted before and after photos of herself last year, before her cancer diagnosis and now after surgery.

She admits that despite clearly being able to see the lump on the picture on the left, she missed it at the time.

Scroll through for common thyroid cancer symptoms:

She shared her experience in an effort to raise awareness of the thyroid cancer symptoms after initially not wanting to share on social media

"I was unsure what the impact of having cancer would be on me as an actress in an industry obsessed with health and beauty," she wrote.

The American Cancer Society lists symptoms including a lump in the neck that Brown had, as well as swelling in the neck, and trouble swallowing.

Now Brown plans on running the London marathon and is raising money for the charity Get A-Head -- which she says helped fund a counselor that offered her mental support throughout her treatment.