With the holidays drawing to an end and the new year officially underway, it was time to get back to normality. As a master’s student in the Athletic Training program at Tarleton State University, I have a very demanding schedule, so I was excited to start the new term feeling refreshed.
But despite the holiday break, I didn’t feel well rested at all.
By the end of January 2026, I was extremely fatigued, yet it wasn’t the same as just being a bit sleepy. It took me a while to recognize that, so I kept pushing through the tiredness. I’ve always been active, so I thought the fatigue was just a sign that I was taking on too much. I kept telling myself I just needed to rest or get through whatever I had going on that day.
As the weeks went on, fatigue was no longer my only symptom. I also experienced episodes of dizziness, lightheadedness, high heart rate, nausea, gastrointestinal issues, and pain that would come and go.
I felt like my body couldn’t keep up with my lifestyle, but none of those symptoms seemed like they could possibly point to something overly serious. Looking back, I wish I had recognized sooner that there is a difference between being tired and your body telling you that something is wrong.
As a graduate student, it was easy to blame the fatigue on school, stress, lack of sleep, or simply doing too much. But as no amount of sleep seemed to help, I convinced myself that I had postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a condition that can cause a fast heart rate and dizziness when transitioning from lying down to standing up.
I honestly thought there were a lot of possible explanations, but cancer was never one of them.
‘Cardiologist Suggested I See a Psychiatrist’
Over time, my symptoms became more noticeable and harder to ignore.
The pain would return, and I started experiencing more physical symptoms that didn’t have an obvious explanation. There were periods when I would feel better and think whatever was going on had passed, only for the symptoms to come back shortly after.
Eventually, I knew something wasn’t right.
I tried to keep up with school, clinical responsibilities, and everyday life while my body told me something was wrong. I was tired and uncomfortable, but I kept pushing through. In hindsight, I probably minimized how much it was affecting me because I didn’t have an explanation for what was happening.
I knew that POTS could explain some of my symptoms, but not all of them. I started to consider whether it was stress-related, or perhaps I was anemic. So many different possibilities ran through my mind.
The pain I was experiencing increased significantly, and my heart rate did not drop below 120 beats per minute. I could no longer tell myself it was just stress or tiredness from my course; I needed answers.
I went to my primary care doctor, who then referred me to a cardiologist in April. I had an echocardiogram and a heart monitor on for a week, but during that time, I annoyingly had very few symptoms. As a result, the cardiologist suggested I see a psychiatrist, despite my explaining that my body couldn’t keep up and that I was experiencing significant pain in my back.
At that point, I thought I just had to deal with whatever was going on internally.
I tried continuing with normal life, but the back pain became so severe that I could hardly sleep, and it hurt every time I ate anything. I made another appointment with my primary care physician in June, this time wondering if it could be my gallbladder that’s causing the problems. She ordered additional testing, including bloodwork and imaging.
Eventually, I was scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound on June 30. I presumed that would be a routine scan, but what it showed was worse than I ever imagined.
The ultrasound revealed several masses in my liver.
They tried telling me the masses could be benign and not to worry too much – but how could I not?
They couldn’t give me any clear answers until I had an MRI and a biopsy done the following week. Although it felt like the longest wait of my life, I was so relieved to finally be heard.
Then came July 6 – the day that changed everything. From now on, I will forever remember it as the day I found out I had cancer.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a type of cancer that begins in the bile ducts within the liver. Hearing that at 23 was something I never could have prepared for, especially when I started researching it and saw the grim outcomes.
It is an aggressive and often fatal form of cancer, with fewer than 2 in 10 people diagnosed with it surviving beyond five years. The more I read, the worse I felt.
‘Cancer Wasn’t Supposed to be Part of My Story’
Once I was diagnosed, everything happened so quickly. I started chemotherapy in July, and my daily life feels so far removed from what it used to be like. There are some days when I don’t even feel like myself anymore.
There are physical challenges with chemo, but also the emotional side of knowing that your life has suddenly changed. At the same time, treatment has given me something incredibly important: faith. Every treatment is another opportunity to fight this disease, and I truly believe God is going to carry me through it.
My goal has been to be as aggressive as medically appropriate with my treatment and to explore every option available. My doctors have also been looking at my cancer on a molecular level to determine whether there are additional targeted treatment options that could work for me.
One of the biggest things I want people to understand is that cancer doesn’t always look the way people expect. I am 23, in graduate school, active, and planning my future—cancer wasn’t supposed to be part of my story.
My message is to advocate for yourself and listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to speak up, ask questions, get a second, third, or even fourth opinion.
It’s especially easy to dismiss symptoms when you’re young. You tell yourself you’re tired because you’re busy, stressed, or not sleeping enough. I did that too, but persistent or unusual symptoms deserve to be taken seriously.
If I can use what I’m going through to encourage someone else to advocate for themselves or to show someone what it looks like to hold onto faith during something incredibly difficult, then there is purpose in sharing my story.
My faith is a huge part of how I’m getting through this. I’ve also learned how incredibly important a support system is. My family, friends, boyfriend, classmates, professors and so many people who have reached out or shown up for me have carried me through some of the hardest moments of my life.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I’m going to keep fighting, keep advocating for myself, keep having faith, and trust that God has a purpose for my story.
Jayci Goolsby, 23, from Texas, is a master's student at Tarleton State University. She plans to continue the final year of her course while undergoing treatment, with the hopes of becoming a certified athletic trainer in the future. She has shared her cancer journey on social media (@jaycimaexo on TikTok) to raise awareness for cholangiocarcinoma and set up a GoFundMe page.