Darryl Bigelow, 37, has long been committed to healthy living. In 2024, he channeled that passion into a health and wellness event platform called A Walking Vibe, hosting experiences for organizations and students centered on yoga, fitness, financial wellness and community.
That same year, Darryl got news he never expected: a diagnosis of stage II papillary thyroid cancer with lymph node involvement.
Darryl remembers attending the Essence Festival in New Orleans prior to his diagnosis, where he was invited to speak onstage. He says a stranger in the crowd came up to him at that event to let him know she noticed a lump in his neck and encouraged him to get it checked out.
“Now looking at the video of the event and you can literally see the tumor in my neck,” he says. “I just thought my neck looked different because I was working out. I like to say that woman in the crowd was my ‘angel’.”
Following the festival, Darryl scheduled an appointment with his primary care provider who referred him to an endocrinologist. From there, Darryl was connected with Dr. Zvonimir Milas, a surgical oncologist at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed thyroid cancer had spread to the lymph nodes in his neck. The tumor was about the size of a peach.
Getting the diagnosis was frightening, but Darryl leaned on a mindset he shaped early in life.
“When I heard that word [cancer], I got very scared,” he recalls. “But in my childhood, my mom instilled a lot of confidence in me because I used to get bullied. She’d tell me it was just a speedbump. She gave me the utmost faith that things would be fine.”
Darryl’s thyroid cancer treatment
Darryl’s treatment began with surgery to remove his thyroid and 28 lymph nodes.
“We remove all the lymph nodes in the affected region because you can’t predict which ones have microscopic disease,” explains Milas.
In Darryl’s case, nine lymph nodes contained cancer cells. His surgery went well and he recovered quickly. Afterward, he began taking a daily oral medication along with continued follow-ups with his medical team.
“Darryl’s bloodwork looks excellent, so we will continue to monitor him,” says Milas. “Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer and the long-term survival rates are outstanding with a low chance of recurrence.”
A lifelong connection to wellness
Darryl’s commitment to health didn’t start with his diagnosis. As a child, he watched his father live with diabetes and saw firsthand how serious chronic illness can become.
“He was dealing with a lot,” says Darryl. “I remember he went into diabetic shock and I had to call 911. I had to learn how to give him sugar and insulin shots. He eventually lost his toes and then his feet.”
Those experiences left a lasting impression. Darryl shared that his father died after college and through that time, he found his way to yoga which helped him navigate his grief. He noticed he wasn’t seeing many people who looked like him in those spaces.
“I was the only Black man there,” he says.
Over time, Darryl began to see wellness as more than a personal habit — it could be a way to support others through anxiety, depression and trauma. That belief became the foundation of A Walking Vibe. To date, he’s hosted events at numerous universities across the country.
“We’re spreading a message about health and wellness to young people,” he says. “We want to give them the opportunity to get off their phones, exercise and take care of themselves.”
Potential symptoms of thyroid cancer
Part of healthy living is knowing your body and talking to your healthcare provider if you notice anything new or unusual. Milas says it’s important to pay attention to changes in your neck and talk with a provider if something feels off. Potential signs of thyroid cancer include:
- Any growth on your neck, particularly around the trachea or above the collarbones
- Difficulty swallowing
- Pain in your neck with a mass
“Most patients have no symptoms of thyroid cancer,” says Milas. “Most thyroid cancers are found early because of extremely good primary care doctors and providers.”
A message focused on prevention
Today, Darryl is moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose, building community through wellness and encouraging people to prioritize their health, especially those who may be more likely to put off care.
“I want to encourage Black men to go to the doctor,” says Darryl. “It’s important to take your health seriously.”
Milas hopes Darryl’s story helps others act sooner rather than later if they notice a lump or change on their neck.
“The more knowledge there is of thyroid cancer, the better,” he says.
Learn more about thyroid cancer treatment at Levine Cancer.
