It’s hard to imagine things getting much worse than a bull fracturing your back after leaping into the crowd at a rodeo.
But for one California woman, said scenario was only the start of her health woes, although somehow, 25-year-old Paige King has sought the silver lining in a pretty crappy situation.
Back in May, King swung by the Redding Rodeo in her hometown. Her day out took a catastrophic turn when a runaway steer launched itself out of the arena and into the stands, leaving King with scratches, bruises and fractures.
Watch the moment unfold below:
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She explained to Fox: “I was sitting there with my boyfriend, and we were watching the run, and then all of a sudden, I looked to my left to glance at something, and I looked back over, and the bull was right there coming at me.”
King added: “I didn’t know exactly what was happening; it took me a second. And then my boyfriend picked me up, and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a bull there’.”
King described what happened next as a blur, telling the outlet: “I end up going to the ground, and all I can really remember after that is him just picking me up.”
Several other spectators were injured and King ended up in hospital, which is where doctors made a terrifying discovery.
King’s dad Erick Mattson explained: “We brought her to the emergency room and did a CT scan of her, and the doctor noticed a lump on her neck, secondary to any internal injuries from the incident.”
Doctors soon confirmed King had cancer.
Of her thyroid cancer diagnosis, King told Fox: “I was just kind of taken back in shock. I couldn’t really tell what was happening, so I just kind of shut down a little bit.”
After being referred to a doctor in Texas, King was told that her cancer was Stage 1, however, doctors are still not sure if the disease has metastasised to her lymph nodes.
“I’m just trying to be as positive as possible and take it day by day at this point,” King - who doesn’t think she’ll need chemotherapy - bravely noted.
She went on: “If I hadn’t gone, I would’ve never found that [the tumour]. I’m very happy that it happened, but at the same time, it’s crazy!”
King has since set up a GoFundMe, which reads: “Little did we know that the bull Border Crisis jumping the fence at the Redding Rodeo would alert Paige to her having cancer and saving her life.”
UNILAD has approached Redding Rodeo for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week
Aisha Nozari