My sister and I were pregnant when she called me to tell me during a routine prenatal screening her Obgyn found a lump on her neck. We knew then and there what it could be as our mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when we were 8 & 12 years old. She went through testing and they uncovered she had thyroid cancer. They were able to remove one side, catching her cancer early and completely removing her cancer. I went to my Obgyn and asked them to check my neck because (well, things sometimes come in 3’s). I had imaging done and they weren’t concerned. She and I proceeded to bring two healthy babies into the world.
I’m a mom of 5 and occasionally things get out on the back burner. My husband and I sold our home in VA and moved to Florida with my Dad and Mom to kick off our Veteran owned, family operated small business repairing and installing garage doors in Jacksonville
Once we got settled I found a primary care and had my initial physical. They found a lump on my throat did ultrasound imaging and did labs. Imaging revealed I had two TR-4 and 1 TR-5 highly suspicious nodules in my thyroid.
Labs revealed I was dangerously low on ferritin- they uncovered an extreme iron deficiency and I spent most of the summer in infusion therapy. My Dr referred me to the Mayo Clinic for consultation and treatment.
In the interim the cancer specialist hematology Dr. I was seeing for my infusions saw my thyroid imaging. I told him my Mayo appt was for another few months. He pulled his phone out and called his friend, a local Endocrinologist. They wanted more testing and labs. We did a biopsy. It came back inconclusive. The dr wanted to move forward with surgery for the right side, retrieve the suspicious nodules and prepare for next steps.
I have 5 kids, a full time job, and my husband and father were running a new business. I didn’t want to undergo exploratory surgery not knowing if I had cancer or not- just to have surgery again if the cancer spread but we met with the surgeon. By the time we got in my surgery consultation was a day before the Mayo Clinic appt. So, we went to both. Mayo wanted to repeat the biopsy, but needed me to wait 6 weeks for the area to heal from the first one. We did and the results were inadequate in the fact they could get through the solid nodules to complete genetic testing. Mayo recommended I be monitored closely over the next 6 months.
I told my cancer specialist hematologist (saw him pretty frequently getting infusions 3 times a week). He read the reports to me and was so frustrated with their recommendation. The local Endocrinologist thought there was cancer. We moved forward with the surgery to remove the right side on 12/6. A few days later, results came back that I have papillary thyroid cancer. The Endo wants my complete thyroid removed (the remaining left) and the close lymph nodes.
Results came back from the second surgery and there is no cancer present in my lymph nodes. On February 5th I go to the Endo to schedule a full body scan to ensure the cancer did not spread anywhere else. The doctors are very positive they’ve removed and stopped the spread because the 3 lymph nodes they removed had no cancers cell.
I’m blessed and thankful that we have health insurance, I’m not terminal, and I have my family loving me and my kids while we go through this. I’ve been allowed fear to sneak into my relationship with God. I’ve been sick and tested with feeling of worry and sorrow instead of surrounding my anxiety to him.
This passage has helped me
Romans 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
I have hope knowing we were saved and I will continue this journey waiting for answers in patience. If I slip, I’ll turn to the lord. Please pray for my babies and husband and family who have had to watch me be consumed with anxiety.
During this experience I was blessed with being able to work from home as much as I could. I brought my laptop to infusion treatments with me. I keep fighting and working because these copays from surgeries, prescriptions, SO many doctor appts, tests, images, and time lost from work have been building up in the form of payment due letters. When we moved here we rented but the property managers have increased the rent and we can no longer afford our payments. We are looking to relocate quickly as our lease is up soon but we have zero savings as we put all our money into my husband’s business before I was diagnosed.
We want to downsize a bit to something we can afford while paying off the medical bills that continue to pile up.
Reading through these campaigns I see so much hope, love & glory to God. If you can help us meet our goal that will enable us to move to a smaller home, and get to heal together as a family we will forever be thankful and promise to pay it forward when we get back on our feet.
Our kiddos are 13, 9, 7, 3, and 1. If you’re not in a position to give please pray my babies can heal from watching their Momma go through sickness and surgeries. I watched my Mom go through it and it’s not an easy thing to do. Thank you so much for reading and caring.