Gen Z Woman Who Had Tumour Pushing on Heart, Shares Important Message

A video of a Gen Z cancer survivor has shared an important message on TikTok, gathering over 1 million views.

Mackenzie Dryden, 20, begins the video by stating she has a tumor filling the entirety of her left lung, pushing on her heart and blood vessels in her neck. Yet, “it’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says.

Newsweek spoke to the student at the University of Miami about her battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after being diagnosed at age 18. The American Cancer Society states it is the most common cancer diagnosed in adolescents aged 15 to 19 years.

She was diagnosed with stage two, meaning she had a large mass in one area that had spread to nearby lymph nodes. During the video, which she shared her TikTok page, @kenzdryd, she describes the six months of chemotherapy as “literal hell”; however, she managed to stay positive.

Now, she urges people to make the most of every day because there’s someone somewhere in a hospital bed, begging for their health like she was back in 2023.

She told Newsweek: “I would say my experience has made a positive impact on my life because of the perspective switch it’s given me.

“You can’t necessarily change the situation you’re in, but you can control how you react and how much power you give the situation over your happiness.

“Every person goes through struggles in their lives, but using it to become stronger instead of seeing it as a setback is so important.”

Before being diagnosed, Dryden had a different mindset after losing her mom to depression in 2020.

“I would say that going through grief before being diagnosed really helped me have a positive mindset,” she told Newsweek. “That’s how I know that going through difficult times makes other hard times less difficult down the road.

“Because of this, I know that my cancer experience happened for a reason and that either God wants me to be stronger for another challenge later in life or He needs me to help other people going through tough times.”

She emphasized that her dad, Steve, gave her strength on her darkest days and that her “amazing support system” made chemotherapy much easier.

“My family and friends were another reason I could be so positive!” she said.

During the video, which has 208,000 likes, she tells others that they can do anything they put their minds to.

“This is the only life you have—I go to bed terrified that I’m not going to wake up the next day. I wake up so grateful that I even survived the night,” she says.

Dryden told Newsweek that the traumatic life events made her realize that she needs to live life to the fullest and encourages TikTok users to do the same.

“I was inspired to share my video because I was a bit overwhelmed with school and life in general, but I remembered just how blessed I am to be able to be overwhelmed.

“I remember when I would watch all my friends my age live their lives at college on social media while it felt like my life stopped and I was left behind during my treatments. It was such a dark and scary time for me that I now see living a ‘normal,’ healthy life as a luxury,” she said.

TikTok Reacts

So far, the post has gained a lot of traction, with many users agreeing with the importance of a positive mindset.

“YES! You have 99 problems until it comes to health, then you have ONE,” said one user, and another wrote: “As a stage 4 cancer patient, yes! Don’t take your health for granted. If you have your health, you have EVERYTHING you need.”

“This epiphany is EXACTLY what I experienced when I got a chronic illness that led to not being able to eat without severe pain and nausea for MONTHS. Other people’s opinions? Doesn’t matter. Corporate stress? Don’t do it to yourself, it’s not brain surgery. Being able to function normally is a BLESSING, please don’t take it for granted,” said a third commenter.

A fourth user said: “I understand what you’re saying; however, mental illness does exist, and we shouldn’t compare our struggles,” and Dryden responded: “I understand what you’re saying; however, mental illness does exist, and we shouldn’t compare our struggles.”

Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.