Park So-dam had pre-symptoms of papillary thyroid cancer: "13 nodules... metastasized to lymph nodes" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

In 'Playlist 109', Park So-dam revealed that before being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, she experienced unexplained fatigue and depression.

The fifth episode of MBC's variety program 'Songs That Got Us Through Today - Playlist 109' (hereinafter 'Playlist 109'), aired on the 18th, featured singer Dayoung and actress Park So-dam. They shared stories about what kept them going with co-hosts Lee Seok-hoon, Lee Jun, and Dean.

For Dayoung, the most difficult period was about five years ago. Although she had dreamed of becoming a solo singer since age six and expressed her ambition to her agency, she received an unexpected response. Instead of giving up, Dayoung decided to restart from the basics she learned during her trainee days. Later, she requested a three-month break to focus on music production. Once approved, she immediately boarded a flight to Los Angeles the next day.

Arriving in LA without any prepared connections, Dayoung contacted Eric Nam for help along the way to the airport. She then met people she wanted to work with locally, introduced herself, and invested all her saved money without hesitation. Rather than waiting for someone to offer opportunities, she took action herself, turning her dream of becoming a solo singer into reality.

The song that helped her endure that time was 'Number One Rockstar'. The demo song Dayoung first received was titled 'Number One Flopstar', which told the sad story of a "failed star." Moved to tears after hearing it, she suggested flipping the song's direction entirely. She filled the lyrics with her own story and declaration, completing the track as 'Number One Rockstar'. She confessed that while preparing for her solo debut, whenever things got tough, she listened to this song while waiting for her day to come.

Dayoung encouraged those going through hard times by saying they should believe in themselves as their own highest standard, urging them to trust in their unique 'ONE & ONLY' selves.

Next, Park So-dam appeared and honestly shared her experiences surrounding her thyroid cancer surgery. During the filming of the movie 'Phantom', she felt unexplained drops in energy and persistent depression, which she initially thought was burnout. Later tests revealed 13 nodules in her neck, with metastasis to the lymph nodes.

After surgery, she had to restart daily life from scratch. Her physical strength had significantly declined, making even walking to Seokchon Lake, a place familiar since childhood, difficult. Gradually, she increased her walking distance. During this process, she cried many tears alone and was told by close friends, "Didn't you cry all your tears at Seokchon Lake?"

For Park So-dam, who spent her 20s running nonstop, the painful period became an opportunity to truly reflect on herself for the first time. Having worked tirelessly across theater, drama, and film, she began asking herself after surgery, "Aside from acting, what else can I do?" She started trying things she had never done before. She traveled alone in Europe for 34 days, drove herself in Iceland to see the aurora borealis, and when she found a scenery she liked, she would stop the car and take a nap.

Park So-dam said, "It would have been better if I hadn't gotten sick, but I think I got sick for a good reason." She added that if she hadn't fallen ill, she might not have realized how hard life was and would have continued living at the same pace. She also expressed gratitude toward those who stayed by her side during her journey to rediscover herself.

Especially during the filming of 'Phantom', when Park So-dam felt guilty for not fulfilling her duties despite being ill, Lee Ha-nyu was there beside her. Shin Goo's words also left a lasting impression on Park So-dam. She recalled that whenever she cried, Shin Goo would wait until she had finished crying before saying, "Why are you crying? We still have today to live and tomorrow to face."

The question posed by actress Eom Jeong-hwa, who had experienced similar pain, changed the way Park So-dam treated her own body. Eom Jeong-hwa told her that although she couldn't remember the pain of surgery due to general anesthesia, her body remembered everything. She asked, "So-dam, have you apologized to your body?" Initially awkward, Park So-dam later began apologizing to her body, saying, "You must have been in so much pain. I'm sorry."

A story she heard from Cho Yeo-jeong also led to self-care. She learned that before going to sleep, Cho Yeo-jeong would ask herself, "Did you live today without regrets?" and if the answer was yes, she would fall asleep immediately. Park So-dam began asking herself every morning and before bed, "Did you live well today? Were you okay?" It was also revealed that Seol Kyung-gu offered a seemingly casual yet warm check-in. After surgery, when Seol Kyung-gu called, instead of directly asking, "Are you okay?", he asked, "Have you eaten?" Upon hearing the reply, "Yes," he would simply say, "Oh, good," and hang up.

Park So-dam's song of endurance was Han Lo-ro's '0+0'. After falling ill, she spent more time gazing blankly at the sky, discovering the beauty in daily life that she had never noticed before.

Lee Seok-hoon responded with Yoo Jae-ha's 'The Hidden Path'. Lee Seok-hoon also sang this song to give himself strength during difficult moments and performed it live for Park So-dam, hoping his feelings would be well conveyed. After the song ended, Park So-dam was moved, saying, "It seems like a voice that keeps making me look up at the sky."

At the end of the broadcast, former baseball player Yoon Seok-min and singer Song Ga-in were announced as the next featured artists for the endurance songs.

Meanwhile, Park So-dam was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, a type of thyroid cancer, in December 2021 and underwent surgery. She shared news of her full recovery in February of the following year.

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*This content was translated by AI.