It all started in 1999, my second year of college. I was busy taking 21 hours, working 40 hours and enjoying a full social schedule.  Life was challenging! Life was also fun!

Life was good, but I was EXHAUSTED! The kind of tired that makes you crazy. At first, I figured I was socializing a little too much 😁🍻🥂🍾 (that bottle should probably look more like BoonsFarm than champagne 😜).  I slowed down. But I didn’t feel any better.

I went to the doctor 6 times that year complaining of fatigue and a low-grade fever. I was given antibiotics, multiple times, for a wide variety of things and told to rest.

In 2000, my 3rd year of college, I had to drop down to 15 hours of school and 30 hours of work.  I still had extreme fatigue and low-grade fever. I also started having nonspecific low back and abdominal pain; the pain was radiating everywhere.  At this point I was going to the doctor every 2-5 weeks, searching for answers. I was labeled a drug seeker, and my symptoms were dismissed.

Near the end of 2000, I was fed up with my general practitioner and went to the ER, praying for answers. They found bruises, assumed I was a battered woman or had been sexually assaulted and wanted to do a rape kit. (That, my friends, is a story for another time…a very crazy and frustrating story) They eventually decided I had appendicitis. I had an appendectomy the next day.

I was VERY slow to heal from surgery; the pain was getting worse (obviously wasn’t appendicitis), I started having chills, night sweats and I could feel a lump on my neck.

In 2001 I quit my job, moved home with my parents and had to commute to school.

Medical professionals continued to label me as drug seeking or having psychosomatic symptoms.

I could literally feel myself dying, and no one believed me.

I prayed.

Prayers were answered!

An old country doctor from Arkansas, my Grandfather, came to visit. I sat in a hotel room desperately explaining my symptoms. He examined me, with only his hands and a stethoscope. He walked over to my Grandmother and said, “I’m afraid that girl has lymphoma.”

That was a game changer! People listened to him!

I was referred to a surgeon for a biopsy of the lump on my neck. The Drs office called with results,  “Your biopsy results are in, but the Drs on vacation and he’d like to go over the results in person “😡.  I had waited long enough! So I requested my medical records, sat in my car, opened the envelope and read…DIAGNOSIS: Malignant Lymphoma, possible mixed cell type.

Praise the Lord! I’m not crazy!!! For the first time in a while, I could breathe.

Once we had a diagnosis, we needed an oncologist to start the staging process. I quickly uprooted my life and moved to Arkansas where my Grandfather could watch over my care.

The staging process went fast. I saw the oncologist on Friday, he did a bone marrow biopsy the same day. The next day I had a PET scan, with immediate results (I watched my Grandfather, and my new BFF read the scan with terror in their eyes).  I was stage 4b. It was in every lymph node and my bone marrow.

With heartfelt sadness, I was told I most likely had 6-8 weeks to live. My poor family, they were shocked. I wasn’t.

The oncologist explained my options, all of which were considered palliative. The best option was chemo…I know what you’re thinking…chemo as a palliative option?! The hope was it would decrease the size of the lymph nodes pressing on my spine and therefore decrease my pain. My other choice was pain meds and hospice.  You see, the back pain was so bad I couldn’t stand, sit or lay in one position for more than a few minutes. I needed to finish my clinicals to graduate, and I needed to stay in school to keep my insurance…so chemo it was.  Treatment started Monday morning.

Everyone around me was sad. It was heartbreaking to watch my family grieve. But the outpouring of love was abundant. So I smiled through the pain and prayed for a miracle.

Chemo wasn’t so bad; it really did decrease the pain. And guess what…a miracle did happen!!!

My PET scan 8 weeks later showed vast improvement!  My prayers warriors were hard at work. I completely let God take control, I just followed. I continued to get better and eventually I was in remission.

I am cancer free! For 15 years now!

I survived, and now it’s time to live! I continue my journey back to health with gratitude for every day.