Healing is not an overnight process; it is a daily cleansing of pain, it is a daily healing of your life. – Leon Brown
I have hoped and I have prayed, but I didn’t anticipate the words “YOU ARE CURED!” to come out of my Doctor’s mouth yesterday. I had figured out what my test results meant (in Layman’s terms, haha). I was still prepared with all my research and my notes and my gut affirming belief to plead my case for why I should NOT have radioactive iodine treatment. The resident even joked that she fully expected me to say that I was an astronaut or something equally detail oriented (or a mom perhaps lol) when she asked what I did for a living, after spying my giant Thyroid Cancer book and my notebook full of notes, highlights and sticky notes.
I sat quietly as my endocrinologist and the resident reviewed my surgery, pathology and bloodwork results with each other. And then Dr. Cooper explained what it all meant…That even though my variant of thyroid cancer is an aggressive one and has a higher risk of recurrence, at this moment there is NOTHING there, so I am cured. There is no need to put my body through the RAI treatment!!
I *woohooooo-ed* and smiled the biggest smile of my life and told him he had made my day, to which he responded that I had made his. (And we elbow bumped, because…coronavirus) ❤ And now I’m writing my surgeon a heartfelt thank you, because he did the virtually impossible thing. In addition to creating an incision that will eventually be barley noticeable, he removed every last bit of my thyroid from my trachea leaving nothing behind to grow. My endocrinologist tells me this is quite rare, that he doesn’t get many outcomes like this one.
I have to say, if there is a moral to this *two year* story, it’s this:
If faced with a diagnosis, LISTEN to your gut, your heart, the little voice in your head that might be saying “no, not yet.” Research your disease, interview doctors and create a team that you can feel aligned with. Get yourself healthier than you have ever imagined possible. Find people who will love and support you and help you heal. I am so blessed and grateful that this cancer (and my family and friends) gave me time to do all of this. I truly believe that if either of the first two surgeons I saw had performed my surgery, though both were competent, the outcome would not have been what it is. And to the Doctor who called me crazy….I’m sending him a note that says “You bet I’m crazy…CRAZY CURED!!”
Thank you to ALL of you for your part in this story! I am humbled and forever grateful for your love and support! And expect a BIG hug the next time you see me. ❤
Light and Love
K