Cancer Diagnosis

When life gets us down we’ve got to keep moving. We’ve got to push through life and make it to the good things God has in store for us.

In July 2013, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer with minimal lymph node involvement. I was 23 at the time and I’m 24 now. A cancer diagnosis of any kind is difficult but, when you are moving away and starting graduate school in a few weeks, the diagnosis becomes even scarier.

Many people wonder how I was diagnosis and what my symptoms were. To be honest, I had no symptoms. I went to the doctor in December because I had bronchitis, the doctor was feeling my neck and felt a nodule. I then was sent for an ultrasound of my neck to see what was going on. Mind you, all of this was happening during my Christmas break home from my internship in South Carolina. I was able to get my ultrasound done at home before I headed back down south. Before I left, the ultrasound results showed that I had a 2.6 cm nodule on the right thyroid lobe. Being 23, I did not think much of it. My aunt has had several nodules on her thyroid with benign results, so I assumed my biopsy would turn out the same.

I returned back to South Carolina to finish my internship. I got into a general doctor, I was told I needed to go to a specialist to get the biopsy completed. After a week of waiting, I was told I could not get an appointment till the end of April. Not thinking much of it, I took the appointment and waited. My thoughts were, “I’m 23 I don’t have cancer.” As the months went by, I realized that I was leaving a week after my appointment and the initial appointment would not even be the biopsy. I made the decision to wait until I went back home to Ohio to get the biopsied performed.

I returned to Ohio in early May and started working at the family owned dairy queen. I kept putting off and putting off calling the doctor, to schedule my biopsy. I finally got the courage to call up the doctor and get it scheduled. The doctor got me in the next day for my biopsy. (Side note: Its crazy how much faster you can get into a doctor up north)

Going into the doctor for the biopsy was very nerve-racking. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a needle going into my neck. Being a negative Nancy at times, I had fears that it was cancer. The biopsy was not as bad as expected. It lasted maybe a half hour and was over.

Now the waiting process began.

The doctors told me it would a week for the results. I waiting through the week nervously and then called the doctor, only to find out that the specimens had to be sent off for further testing and it would be another week.

I started to get stressed hearing that the results had to be sent off for more testing. I left for Las Vegas for my National Athletic Training Conference.  I got a call a few days into my trip asking me when I could come in for the results. I got home from my trip on Friday and had to wait till Monday to get in to get the results. I was extremely frustrated and just wanted to know one way or the other if it was cancer or not. Finally, Monday came. I went into the doctor all smiles not thinking anything of it. My doctor walks in 5 minutes later and blandly says, “Its cancer. Come on lets go get you a doctor.” Mind you, I’m at the doctor’s office by myself, no friends or family around. I just moved along not knowing what to say or do. I left the office with no more then a phone number of a doctor in Cleveland.

Through this time, I became depressed, but the thing that bothered me most is the possibility that I may have to stay at home and get treatment. I feared I would not be able to move down to Georgia like I’d been looking forward to all year.

It’s hard to trust in God in situations like these. Many things that were once important to me became non-essentials. My health became a top priority. Mentally, my strength was beginning to diminish and I just could not understand why God would put such a horrible disease in my body at the 23 year old. I needed to trust in God and understand that everything happens for a reason.