To think something is off here?

So…. She was “exposed”

or just a gradual drip drip of people not believing her

A family member was given five years, tops, for cancer and that was ten years ago. They’re still here though it won’t be cured, ever, and at some point will kill them. They will be here for as long as the treatment continues to work. Life expectancies and outcomes following further treatment can be very individual. It also depends on the rate and spread of the cancer.

My family member is no longer working but continues to live life to the full and save for getting tired easily they still live a quite active life.

I encountered her during a secondment then returned to my original job. The boss at the secondment changed and the new boss was onto her quite quickly. Her job was changed and made it difficult for her to get away with the lies.

And? Was she exposed?

I had a colleague who pretended she had a brain tumour. The local press interviewed her, money was raised by her village for a special family trip etc. It was all a lie although she kept lying about it years later. She claimed she was at hospital when a friend of mine had just passed her in the car. She lied about health matters regarding her family too, claiming her children had various broken limbs etc. she was a thoroughly toxic woman. So it does happen but I'm assuming it's fairly unusual behaviour

I know someone who lied about cancer. Shaved her own head. Faked hospital appts, had friends running round after them at the detriment to their own families.

They also faked mental illness in their children, poor health in parents and a huge list of ailments for themselves.
Oh, and domestic violence because they'd been dumped.

Some people love a drama, some have munchausens (?) and some are genuinely ill.

I would distance myself from anyone who I thought was bullshitting after my previous experience with a person like this.

I know someone really well who was diagnosed with the same type of brain tumour 2 years ago who runs a successful business with employees. He had de-bulking surgery on the weekend, discharged from hospital Thursday and was back at work Monday! The following month he had 3 weeks of radiotherapy Monday-Friday but was still working and then chemo pills monthly. None of this affected him one jot and he only lost a small patch of hair which he could hide easily. They only got about 95% of his tumour out, the rest was too dangerous, so he has regular scans to ensure it’s not growing back. He’s reapplied for his driving licence now his 2 years are up and his consultant was happy to sign the paperwork. Basically, unless your colleague has form for telling major porkies please don’t assume she is now.

reappeared not reopened!

My DB had exactly this diagnosis. I guess the ability to work would depend on the site of the tumour. His was frontal lobe and affecting his speech. He had it removed and had another one removed a year later but it reopened and he had died within 2 years of diagnosis.
He was a surveyor and was off work from point of diagnosis but to meet him in the street you would not have known there was an issue until last few months( other than large scar on his scalp) He was mobile, climbing hills,skiing,cycling and living his best life as he knew there was not much time left. Even 2 months before he died he was walking with my SIL to local supermarket to buy a coffee and daily paper. When I went to collect him after second lot of brain surgery, they discharged him the next day and he was standing on one leg to put his socks and shoes on. Incredible.
However, very few people survive longer than a year or 2 with this type of tumour.

.

I have two friends currently with serious cancers, yes they are carrying on, yes they are making the best of things (both only in their 30s) but you can absolutely ‘tell’ and does seem a bit strange to be fine 10 days later from major surgery

A friend has has been operated on twice to remove a brain tumour. Both times his recovery has been incredible. Was a running joke that my hangover symptoms were worse than the effects of the op when I visited the day day after.
Has affected him long term, but subtly. The giveaway is the impressive scar under his hairline

Based on the information given and what I know of my friend who died on a brain tumour at 24 I would be highly dubious of this colleague.

I don't believe it.

I have a really strong suspicion an ex boyfriend is doing exactly this at present - the difference is he’s raised £50k via a go fund me for life saving treatment abroad and then his latest post is, tumours are naturally shrinking, so I won’t go abroad for the operation just yet but your money is so helpful thank you 🧐
I feel awful even thinking it, but knowing him, and watching him speak about it in a video my gut was screaming that he’s lying.
Always trust the gut!

So you’re all freelance

So how often are you in the same office with this colleague?

This issue completely aside… do you like her? Get on with her?

There is something “off” alright
but it isn’t this colleague

The man who said he had cancer said he was taking medication for it. When he was beaten up and taken to hospital his close friends went to visit him and mentioned the cancer medication to someone at the hospital they were concerned about the interaction of other medication for the injuries and were told that he wasn't taking any. This was 20+ years ago it probably wouldn't happen now. One of the men's best friends had a close relative we all knew was dying of cancer which made the lie even harder to swallow.

A 2 year gap between diagnosis and surgery? Sound like porky lies to me.
I've worked with several brain cancer patients, as ex Marie Curie nurse, and with each one, their personalities changed. One guy, became very aggressive and several months later lost his sight due to the tumour.

Stage 4 is not always terminal. Rhod Gilbert had stage 4 head and neck cancer. He is currently cancer free.

We lost my dad to glioblastoma 18 months ago , his first symptom was losing the sight in one eye , literally days later he started to lose his speech and mobility, 8 weeks later he passed away . It's a very very fast aggressive cancer. I must admit that I'm dubious about your friend.

She's lying OP. No-one is going to be back to work 10 days after surgery like that. When I was a district nurse we used to be asked to remove clips from people's head around 10 days so...

Also SIL’s dad has a brain tumour, given 12 months. He had surgery but he is suffering many ongoing symptoms relating to the brain, as it takes a long time to recover from a brain surgery. Back at work within 12 days? I would struggle to believe that.

My friend recently died from cancer that had spread to her brain and it affected so much, she was like a different person. I very much doubt you could have no symptoms, but i’m no expert.

In your OP you say she was diagnosed early 2022 and said in 2024 that she'd had surgery. Did the surgery occur earlier than 2024 and she just waited until then to mention it? Only because no way would her doctors have waited two years to treat such an aggressive type of cancer.

If she's claiming to be terminal still then that suggests it had either spread, or they didn't get all of it. So she's had no further time off for treatments since? It's such an aggressive cancer I would be surprised if she wasn't having some type of symptoms/treatments.

If she wanted to fake cancer, you'd think she'd go with something easier to keep hidden such as a cancer in the abdomen, not pick one where the surgery is on a visible part of the body and with an incredibly low survival rate.

I know 2 people who have lied about illness. One ex told me she had life threatening surgery to remove a brain tumour. I never outright found out if it was a lie or not but she never had a scar or her hair cut and the next day had driven from her city to mine. This was an attempt to keep me because I'd told her I was ending the relationship. She wasn't really young either, when you can be forgiven for doing crazy things, she was 38.