Skyla Cui knew something wrong with her health.

But she was forced to fight for nearly a year – visiting multiple doctors and racking up more than $70,000 in medical bills – before she was finally diagnosed with cancer.

The California college student, 21, was studying computer science at Columbia University in New York last summer when she noticed swelling in her neck. 

She told her doctor at her annual check-up a few weeks later and had an ultrasound in August 2024, which cost $1,642 before insurance. It showed no signs of cancer or disease. 

As she didn’t have any other symptoms, Cui believed the lump was nothing to worry about. 

‘Originally, my first symptom was a swollen lymph node and I got an ultrasound of that, which didn’t give the most information,’ she told the Daily Mail.

‘Since I was young, and I have no other symptoms, it wasn’t super likely to be cancer, and so I wasn’t in that big of a rush to follow up on it.’

However, nine months later, her lymph node was still swollen. 

She went back for an MRI ($1,708 before insurance reimbursement) to get a better look at the lump, and when it was deemed suspicious, she had a biopsy.

Skyla Cui (pictured), 21, said she was dismissed for almost a year before finally being diagnosed with stage four cancer

Skyla Cui (pictured), 21, said she was dismissed for almost a year before finally being diagnosed with stage four cancer

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Cui said doctors spent about half an hour trying to get a sample of her lymph node. 

After numbing her and sticking the needle in her neck, she was told doctors had missed her lymph node altogether.

Both tests came back inconclusive, but Cui was still billed $7,259, only some of which was covered by insurance. 

Her doctor asked her to come back the following week so they could try again. Since she was still recovering from the first procedure and only had one symptom, Cui declined.

‘I was planning on just doing the stuff that I had planned for my summer break and maybe considering doing it again at the end of summer before I went back to school,’ she said.

But she did have one more test already scheduled for a week later: a CT scan. 

The results, for which she was billed $3,700, quickly changed Cui’s plans. 

‘Without having done the CT and seeing the mass on my lungs, I probably would’ve waited at least another three months before getting diagnosed.’

Two days later, Cui had a robot-assisted biopsy of her lungs that cost $43,450, which confirmed lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system. 

There are nearly 90,000 cases of lymphoma every year, which most commonly impacts people in their 20s and over 55. The average age at diagnosis is 39, according to the American Cancer Society. 

But before she could start treatment, Cui had to undergo a PET scan to determine the stage of the cancer. A PET scan is an imaging test that uses radioactive tracers to detect cancer in the body. 

Cui only had a swollen lymph node, which she said led doctors to dismiss her. She was also forced to argue with her insurance company to cover procedure costs

Cui only had a swollen lymph node, which she said led doctors to dismiss her. She was also forced to argue with her insurance company to cover procedure costs

Cui, pictured here in the hospital, underwent several scans, including an MRI, CT, PET scan and biopsies before she received her diagnosis in June 2025

Cui, pictured here in the hospital, underwent several scans, including an MRI, CT, PET scan and biopsies before she received her diagnosis in June 2025

‘I had a PET scan that I needed before beginning chemo, and the claim was denied, and because of that, I almost had to delay my entire treatment,’ Cui said.

She explained that the insurance company told her she could ‘just wait 28 days and then submit another claim, and then get [her] PET scan’.

After several phone calls with her insurance provider, she got a PET scan that cost $13,711 before insurance and an official diagnosis: stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. 

She was billed $71,470 before ever receiving treatment. While her insurance covered parts of her diagnostics, Cui is unsure of the exact amount she was personally responsible for.

Hodgkin lymphoma makes up about 9 percent of all lymphoma cases. 

Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fatigue, itchy skin, trouble breathing, loss of appetite and cough. Cui, however, only had an enlarged lymph node. 

Even at stage four, the prognosis is generally positive, with a five-year survival rate of 84 percent. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, the average cost of cancer in the year after diagnosis is $109,727.

Cui has been documenting her cancer treatment on TikTok and made a video detailing the cost of cancer before insurance. She said she feels lucky that she didn’t have to pay everything she was billed, but that’s not the reality for 27 million uninsured Americans, per the CDC.

Hundreds of people around the world were distraught by the cost of American healthcare, with or without insurance.

One commenter said, ‘As a Canadian, this is insane’, while another added, ‘I can’t believe some people have to pay for medical care’.

Cui is pictured above holding a clump of hair that has fallen out due to chemotherapy Cui is pictured above holding a clump of hair that has fallen out due to chemotherapy

Cui has since shared her story on TikTok, documenting treatment and its effects, such as losing her hair (pictured above)

Cui has had four rounds of chemotherapy and is still undergoing treatment. She is pictured here in the hospital

Cui has had four rounds of chemotherapy and is still undergoing treatment. She is pictured here in the hospital

Once she knew exactly what she was dealing with, Cui researched a doctor who would best fit her needs.

But within the complicated healthcare system, it felt nearly impossible to find one that her insurance would pay for.

‘I think something even more stressful was researching doctors who specialize in my type of cancer,’ she said.

‘I was like “Oh this is a really good doctor, and choosing this doctor would be the best for my healthcare, but I don’t know if I can because it would be so expensive if it’s not in the [insurance] network.”‘

When dealing with a challenging health or insurance system, Cui encourages other young women to take control of their treatment.

‘We have a lot of power,’ she said. ‘We can choose how we look at all of these things that are happening to us.

‘We’re in the driver’s seat, we can choose what we want to do and what we don’t want to do.’

She hopes her videos give power to young women during chemo, shed light on the challenges of the US medical system, and spread infectious positivity.

Since her diagnosis in June, Cui has had four rounds of chemo and is still undergoing treatment. As of now, her treatment plan only includes chemotherapy. 

Cui said treatment options and prognosis for her cancer are generally good. Since she’s younger and otherwise healthy, she’s motivated to keep fighting.