Living with cancer is a journey of resilience, requiring emotional strength, medical care, and the support of loved ones. It means adapting to treatments, managing side effects, and navigating the uncertainty that comes with a diagnosis. While the road can be challenging, many find ways to live fully, embracing moments of joy, love, and purpose. Hi, my name is Audrey, I am now 57 years old. Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022, I was notified by my primary doctor that I have kidney cancer. When she presented me with this news, for the next three days my world was upside down. I could not process it. I had never been sick a day in my life, not even a cold. It was just not real to me, so after the holidays, in early January 2023, I had a referral to Roswell Cancer Institute. I had heard many things about Roswell. It was not until I walked in there physically that my world changed; everything became real. I just could not believe I was there for a visit, so I met with my surgeon who actually performed the surgery on me, and it was confirmed after many tests that I had kidney cancer stage 2. On February 28, 2023, surgery was performed to remove the 8.5 cm tumor that was sitting on my right kidney, and they removed part of my kidney. On November 6, 2023, I was assaulted in my home and almost murdered by a man I was dating for four years, who left me for dead on my kitchen floor, and through the grace of God, I walked away with 130 stitches to the front of my scalp. It came out later on that he was trying to rob me. He's been incarcerated ever since that day. In May 2024, I needed to meet with not only my GYN team but a colorectal specialist for a colonoscopy. The results were that they found six polyps; five were benign, and the sixth one was stage three colorectal cancer. The tumor caused so much damage it made a hole, which I was told is called a fistula, and poop was coming out of my vagina. I almost committed suicide twice. Roswell was with me and performed an ostomy surgery, and I've been living with a colostomy bag since May 1924. They also did a procedure to place a chemo port in my chest so that I can take my chemotherapy. Also, at the end of August, the team at Roswell decided to place me on radiation for five weeks, every day except the weekends. The goal was to try to shrink the tumor. I was told that if it gets to stage 4, there is really nothing else that could be done. Everything has been happening back to back. I ask myself how one person can take so much; sometimes I don't even know how I am doing it. All I know is through the grace of God, many nights I go to bed believing that I may never even wake up, and again, only through the grace of God, I'm still here. The assault that happened in my home in Kenmore has caused me to make a decision to depart from there with my adult son, who lives with me and who is my caretaker and who has been by my side through this whole ordeal. We could not move past what had happened there. It did not feel like home anymore, and it was a constant reminder of the assault, so I packed everything up, and it's been in storage for almost a year now, and it is becoming costly. So technically, we are homeless, and I'm at a friend's house in their spare bedroom, and he's at his childhood friend's house on the couch. When I made this decision, I did not know that my treatments with Roswell were going to go on longer than what I expected, and it gets even better. Just this past February 19, 2025, I woke up, and it just hurt to breathe, and every breath that I took was just hurting my whole body, so I went to the emergency room and I was diagnosed with having blood clots in each lung, and now I am on blood thinners. I'm also a fall risk. I refuse to give up now because I've come so far, and I readjusted my whole life, learning how to live with these issues. I have so much trauma that I have not even begun to sort through. I signed up for mental health. My first appointment is March 18, 2025, so this is my fight, and this is my story ♥ PLEASE PRAY FOR ME, AND IF ANYONE OUT THERE IS ABLE TO HELP, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.
G-Day Mzzz,
You have gone through a lot, but you have found this group, and we can travel your road with you. Just ask whenever you need help.
Regards, IGGIE
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Wow! That's quite a journey. While I doubt anyone has a story like yours, there's likely someone here who can relate to different aspects.
I've had rectal cancer. While they were shrinking the tumor before surgery, I developed fistulas inside the tumor itself, which had me peeing poop. I also probably had it coming from my vagina, though at that point, it was impossible to say. Doctors didn't investigate because the surgery to remove the tumor would fix it regardless. But I know how difficult that is to live with.
Stick around. This is a good place to hang out.
Never underestimate the power of writing. Vent writing. The important thing is when directed to people who get it, we do get it. Welcome. Pull up a chair and stay a spell. You will fit in very comfortably.
Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister
