Woman booked a full-body MRI ‘for enjoyable’ – she was shocked when it uncovered a life-threatening situation

A mother of two who underwent a trendy full MRI body scan ‘for fun’ has revealed her shock at being told she had a hidden, life-threatening condition. 

Sara Blackburn, from Houston, Texas, had no concerns about her health when she booked in for the £2,000 ($2,500) check offered by celebrity-backed firm Prenuvo.

In a viral TikTok which has been viewed more than 2.8 million times, Ms Blackburn said: ‘I just thought [the scan] will give me peace of mind’.

She added: ‘It really did feel like a spa day. Until it didn’t.’

Prenuvo—which has been endorsed by Kim Kardashian—say their scans can detect cancer and other chronic diseases years before symptoms even begin.

However the clinic chain—which also counts supermodel Cindy Crawford and pop star Rita Ora among its clients—has also been criticised ‘cashing in’ on the paranoia of health-conscious young people.

But in Ms Blackburn’s case, the result showed she was unknowingly suffering a splenic artery aneurysm—a bulge in an artery supplying her spleen, which is an important organ in the immune system. 

The condition is rare and usually symptomless—but in some cases the bulge can grow and then rupture, causing severe internal bleeding and extreme pain. 

If not treated rapidly, a rupture is fatal in one in three cases, according to the report that Ms Blackburn shared on TikTok.

Recalling the moments leading up to the diagnosis, she said: ‘This is a story about how I had a full body MRI just for fun—no symptoms whatsoever.

‘And how I am now scheduled to have an organ removed in two weeks. 

‘My husband and I had heard of Prenuvo, and we scheduled to have them done in Dallas, which is about four hours away from us in Houston. 

‘We were going to make a trip out of it—we were so excited.’

Ms Blackburn and her husband’s scans were booked for November 14, which she says was a ‘great experience’. 

She adds: ‘I was so excited. I don’t know what I thought we were going to find, but looking back I think I was certain this was going to give me peace of mind—they were  not going find anything serious.’

After reading the results, Ms Blackburn admits she ‘went into a full blow panic attack’ and rushed to the nearest emergency room ‘because I needed a doctor to tell me what this meant’.

She added: ‘I the report, without any other context, it’s like—one in three mortality rate. Okay. Thank you so much.

‘That is how my health anxiety started. It was a really dark and hard two months where I was spiraling and freaking out and seeing a lot of doctors and pretty much treating my body like [it was made of] glass.

‘I had no idea about this and literally felt like a ticking timebomb was found inside my body.’

A further CT scan revealed there was not one but two aneurysms on her splenic artery.

After seeking guidance from multiple vascular surgeons, Blackburn made the decision to have her spleen, which is responsible for filtering the blood and fighting infections, removed.

She said that while this is not what she expected at all, she is grateful for the opportunity to make proactive decisions about her heath.

The surgery was successful and Blackburn is now adjusting to life without a spleen— with the lifelong risk that a small infection could develop quickly.

Looking back, Blackburn has no regrets about her decision to undergo the full body scan, but warns others to proceed with caution.

 ‘For the people who already have existing health anxiety I truly don’t know if I can recommend full-body scans.

‘I was just a normal anxious girly before this and now I am a normal anxious girly with debilitating health anxiety which I am trying to overcome.’

In 2023 Kardashians star Kim, 44, caused an outcry when she posted two images on Instagram about her Prenuvo scan, calling the service ‘life saving’. 

She wrote in the post, which gained more than two million likes: ‘The Prenuvo full-body scan has the ability to detect cancer and diseases such as aneurysms in its earliest stages, before symptoms arise.

‘It has really saved one of my friends [sic] lives and I just wanted to share.’

However, there is no evidence that Prenuvo’s scans have any clinical benefit.

Dr Tyler Black, psychiatrist and pharmacologist in Canada, wrote on X that Prenuvo scans ‘have not been studied in any clinical trial, and typically screening asymptomatic people with imaging leads to more harm (via false positives) than benefit (true positives).’

‘They are likely part of a vulture medicine movement which seek to extract money from healthy people under the guise of “giving patients more information”. 

‘As someone who went through a year of worry [and] tests due to an incidental MRI lung finding (false positive), it really sucks.

‘”Your heart is great, but um, we found a nodule in your lung…” I was not “empowered” in the months that followed, I was scared I had cancer. 

‘The literature on nodules like mine was not reassuring “they can be benign or malignant.”‘

‘While I was relieved once further tests showed it was likely benign, I did not benefit from the experience. 

‘I suffered every night thinking about it, especially trying to sleep. Plus the tests I went through have their own risks.

‘That’s what Prenuvo can offer you for $2500 or whatever they charge now.’

Hollywood actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson have also endorsed Prenuvo, although it is unclear whether any of the celebrities were paid.

Neither the NHS nor American health chiefs recommend whole-body scans for people without symptoms, citing a lack of evidence of their effectiveness.