A Fight Fierce Enough to Change the Ending
In 2018, I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer after a routine mammogram. After a lumpectomy and radiation, I was cancer-free!
In February of 2023, I started having discoloration and dark spots on my stomach area and left side pain under my ribs. I went to 2 different dermatologists for help, and even after biopsies, they were not able to diagnose. I went to my family practice doctor, who ran blood work, and he noticed I had a low white cell count (WBC). He referred me to an oncologist because I had previously had breast cancer, and he was concerned about the low WBC.
The oncologist ran more tests, like blood work and an ultrasound, but everything came back normal, other than the low WBC. He said for me to come back in a couple of months to check the blood work again.
In September of 2023, a swollen lymph node appeared in my neck. I went to my family practice doctor again, and he ordered an ultrasound, which also prompted a biopsy since it was a hard mass. The biopsy showed that it came from my stomach!
This was a shock for me! How could a lump in my neck come from my stomach? He sent me back to the oncologist, who then ordered a PET scan to check my abdomen. On Oct. 9, 2023, we met with the oncologist who told me that the PET scan showed multiple lymph nodes throughout my abdomen were metastatic, as well as a mass in my stomach, plus the metastatic lymph nodes in my neck. I was told the news that I had stage 4 stomach cancer!
The oncologist was not optimistic and told me to get my things in order and that I probably should consider contacting hospice. This was not acceptable to me. I beat cancer once, and I was determined to beat it again. I switched oncologists and found one who believed in me and was willing to fight alongside me. I started chemotherapy in November of 2023, and by April of 2024, my PET scan showed no evidence of disease (NED)!
I was NED for 14 months until June of 2025. On my June PET scan, the lymph node in my neck showed metastatic activity again, so we had to take a biopsy and adjust my treatment. I also found out that I was a candidate for immunotherapy, so we added it to my treatment schedule. Luckily, my chemo/immunotherapy treatment is working and is slowing the growth of the lymph node!
Even though I will need to be on chemo treatments the rest of my life, it is keeping me alive, so it’s worth it! I just passed my 2-year mark and am determined to get to the 5-year mark! The 5-year survival rate for someone like me (stage 4) is only 7%. I am determined to be one of those 7%!
If there were pre-screenings available like there is for breast cancer, there may have been a chance we could have caught my cancer early, like we did with my breast cancer. My hope is that we can get funding and support for gastric cancer pre-screening testing.
I was able to go to Washington, D.C., to support two important foundations in their quest to meet with senators and representatives to raise awareness and encourage support for research funding. I am planning on attending again in 2026 to help raise awareness and support for our need for funding towards stomach cancer.