NEWS - Travel can play a huge role in uplifting our mental and emotional health. It can even save lives, as narrated in this video by Andy Jiang on YouTube.
In May 2019, Bal Gill went on vacation to Edinburgh, Scotland. Little did she know that the trip would literally be a life-changing experience.
One of the Gill family's destinations was Camera Obscura and World Of Illusions. This popular museum features exhibits and displays that dabble with light, perspective, and visual effects to create illusions of impossible or improbable scenes.
It was in the thermal camera imaging room at the museum that she noticed something unusual. While she and her family were waving their arms in front of the camera, she saw a red thermal spot on her left breast.
Upon checking the images of her other family members, it seemed odd that only she had it.
Gill states, "As all families do, we entered and started to wave our arms and look at the images created. While doing this, I noticed a heat patch (red in color) coming from my left breast. We thought it was odd, and having looked at everyone else, they didn't have the same."
Gill then took a picture of the thermal image on her mobile phone and continued to other exhibits at the museum. Later on, when she was back home browsing through photos on her phone, she was reminded of the red spot.
Searching on Google, Gill saw articles about breast cancer and how it can be detected by thermal imaging. She made an appointment with her doctor and got her diagnosis - it was, indeed, breast cancer at its early stages.
Gill received treatment for her breast cancer and wrote to the museum to tell them of her experience. She told them that she had undergone surgeries to prevent the spread of cancer.
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions General Manager Andrew Johnson replied to Gill, stating, "It’s amazing that Bal noticed the difference in the image and crucially acted on it promptly. We wish her all the best with her recovery and hope to meet her and her family in the future."
Traveling can improve your well-being, but Gill's swift action to her unusual thermal imaging results and consulting with her doctor played a crucial role in her health. Although thermal imaging may show some signs of irregularities, getting a mammogram remains the most effective way to detect breast cancer.