A SURVIVOR'S STORY

The beginning is a good place to start in any story, but I can’t really pinpoint where that beginning is. I haven’t always listened to God and the man I love, but somehow it worked out I was listening to both.

On Christmas vacation I went to rub a kink out of my shoulder and felt something weird – like a skin tag under my skin. It was about half way between my breast and collarbone. I wasn’t sure what it was but had a hard time dismissing it because my boyfriend, Jason, is a testicular cancer survivor. We’d been dating about three months at that time and his story was quite fresh in my mind as well as his passion for Lance Armstrong’s website, which he told me saved his life.

I had been in California to see my mom for two weeks and got back to Iowa in time to spend New Year’s Eve with Jason. On New Year’s Day, 2008, I moved my hand to probe the same spot. This time it felt more distinct. Again, I thought to shrug it off but Jason insisted I get it checked out that night.

At 5:00 p.m. I was at Covenant Care Clinic in Waterloo and saw an excellent doctor who had the foresight to let me know I would need surgery and he hoped it was benign. Jason encouraged me to be an advocate for myself and to be persistent about calling for the breast biopsy. I got in and after that, the doctor appointments seemed nonstop. My first surgery was January 7th, my second on January 14th and I was radiated that following Valentine’s day. Jason was right there with me through everything and my friends and family were extremely supportive, faithfully praying and driving me to appointments. My work and teachers (I’m a grad student) were wonderfully flexible and my grades, at least, were no different from past semesters.

I do want to say that as far as cancer stories go, I feel I got off easy. While my cancer was a rare type, my lymph nodes were clear so I didn’t need chemo. I don’t know what the future holds. I’ve only got the present moment. No matter what, I have been given extra years of wellness. And I have these years because God put people in my life that encourage me to be an advocate for myself, so I’m best equipped to be an advocate for others.

If I can pass anything on, it is the idea that an integral part of love is self-care – discerning what you can do, what you can’t, and asking for help when you need it. Protect the temple your body is. Life is most precious and love, the best.