When Lauren Bannon noticed she was having trouble bending her fingers, she turned to ChatGPT for answers. The AI bot told her she may have Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid. Despite initial reservations from doctors, further testing revealed a different diagnosis: two tumors in her neck that were cancerous and thyroid cancer.
Bannon had been experiencing strange symptoms, including stomach pains and unexplained weight loss. Doctors initially diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis but couldn’t find a cause for her other symptoms. Frustrated, Bannon turned to ChatGPT for help, which suggested she might have Hashimoto’s disease. Convinced, she insisted on further testing, which revealed the cancer diagnosis.
Without ChatGPT, Bannon believes her condition would have remained undetected, and the cancer may have spread. She now credits the AI bot with saving her life, saying it gave her the answers she needed to get proper treatment. The American Thyroid Association notes there is no link between Hashimoto’s disease and thyroid cancer, but in this case, further testing revealed two separate conditions.
Bannon underwent surgery to remove her thyroid, cancerous tumors, and lymph nodes from her neck in January 2025. Due to the BRAF V600E mutation found in many cancers causing increased cell growth, she now requires lifelong monitoring to prevent cancer return.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14635411/north-carolina-mom-Hashimotos-disease-lauren-bannon.html