A SURVIVOR’S WILL - A STORY OF NIKKI COONS

By Jeff Coons (Husband) With The Help And Approval Of Daughter Bella And Sister Alicia

After finding a lump in her left breast, Nichole Coons was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, stage 3a, Oct 2021, at the age of 42. At that point, she was very opposed to the standard of care (chemo, etc.), and being involved in natural wellness, was more interested in trying a different route. Ultimately, after thinking and weighing options, and continually being told she’d “die in six months” otherwise, she did end up reluctantly starting the traditional treatments. Off to a hard start, she initially had an allergic reaction. Going forward, she did not tolerate the chemo well and formed a blood clot (thankfully a minor incident) in her arm. The treatment continued, and eventually the immunotherapy caused her to develop severe ulcerative colitis. It was debilitating. She suffered from bleeding, it kept her up at night, was unable to work, and could barely leave the house. 2022 was a long difficult year for her (Sidenote, in the summer of 2022, Jeff was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis). However, despite being sidelined from any further standard of care, Nikki diligently pursued and applied as many natural healing modalities and treatments as her body would tolerate. She remained fierce and hopeful. In April 2023, the ulcerative colitis had progressed to the point (blood loss, blood clotting, extreme fatigue, malnutrition, etc.) where a colectomy was necessary. The surgery went well, and Nikki was filled with fresh hope. She was able to eat better, be more active, and could sleep through the night. Her plan was to have a mastectomy and vigorously continue the natural cancer treatment protocols she had well researched. Much to all our shock (including her surgical team), the pathology report of her removed colon showed evidence the breast cancer had metastasized there. This was apparently an extremely rare move, for triple negative breast cancer. At this point, being diagnosed with Stage 4, the possibility for the mastectomy was taken from her. Then, almost as if the term “Stage 4” held some sort of curse, scans and tests began showing the cancer had also moved to her bones. Desperate and afraid (her family and myself, more so than Nikki, because she was so brave, strong, and hopeful), we tried to raise funds to pursue some of the unconventional Stage 4 treatments Nikki was interested in. Simultaneously, being consumed by medical bills and expenses, Nikki sought to be able to apply for Social Security (which sadly, she was just now able to do so, being Stage 4). The application, in and of itself, is ridiculously long, complex, and daunting, let alone the approval waiting time. Nikki began trying to fill out the application, but the support she needed to complete that task (social workers), unfortunately didn’t really live up to their promises. The pain from the cancer in her bones kept her up at night, made walking and everyday living difficult, and forced her to take a myriad of painkillers. This was hard for her, considering she preferred natural healing, for much of her life. On Saturday, June 10, 2023, the morning of our son’s graduation party, which was to be at our home, the cancer in her spine had weakened those bones to a point where something fractured or crumbled. Despite the excruciating pain, and inability to stand, she refused the EMTs to take her to the hospital, as she didn’t want to miss our son’s party. Hours later, as she lay in bed still, in great pain, the party was scheduled to begin. Miraculously, after our family surrounded her and prayed, she stood up, on her own, and came out to the party! No one there knew how badly she was hurting, and those of us who were there that morning were amazed at her strength and will to be there for her son. Sadly, after the party, she was again unable to stand and was taken to the hospice house (by no means with the plan or understanding that she was “going there to die," but rather because they could be more liberal with her pain medication). The next couple of days at the hospice were dark. Nikki required lots of medicine, just to prevent her from writhing in pain, and was unable to eat or drink. It wasn’t long before the doctors said she would die soon. After more fervent prayer, we were given another miracle, and by that Thursday, Nikki was sitting up, and eating! On Friday, June 16, she was released to go home! After a brief glimpse of hope (she was able to celebrate Father’s Day, with family, at home), the reality of her condition sank back in. Over the course of the next week, she continued to deteriorate, and was cared for, in our home, by us, and the wonderful hospice nurses. During the night, on June 25, she passed in her sleep, with her hand in mine. This was just two short months, after being diagnosed with Stage 4. She was a loving mother to two wonderful children, a favorite “Aunt Kiki," almost a grandmother (or “Mimi”) to her first grandchild, and a cherished wife to a very grateful husband. She beat odds, proved doctors wrong, and even though we saw the severity of her condition, we were still stunned by her death (she seemed unstoppable). Her bravery, hope, constant positivity, and strength were breathtakingly inspiring. Even near the end, when she knew her time was short, she remained full of peace and hope. One of her frequent sayings was, “Everything is in divine right order.”