"In May 2018, I found out I was pregnant.  In June I had my first ultrasound done and my doctor broke the news to my boyfriend and I.  He told us that the fetus stopped growing around 9 weeks in and started to turn into a mass.  He said that I had a "complete molar pregnancy" and there was no chance of survival. He then told us that sometimes women develop Gestational Trophoplastic Disease (GTD) from complete molar pregnancies and that I had that as well. My entire uterus was filled with tumors due to the disease. The next day I had a D&C completed and they removed about 9 pounds of tumors, and the fetus. My doctor informed me that it is extremely rare for GTD to turn into cancer, but there is still that 1 in 1,000,000 percent chance so I had to get my blood taken every week to track my HCG levels. The next 3 weeks following the D&C, my HCG levels dropped like they were supposed to be doing, but then they started going up. My doctor then diagnosed me with Gestational Trophoplastic Neoplasm (GTN).

 

I had cancer.

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I began chemotherapy injections right away and continued getting my HCG levels checked every week. The levels were dropping, but slowly, so I started getting injections more frequently. After a few months of that, my levels began to rise again. I was then referred to an oncologist because it was becoming more difficult. I had many tests done and I went from 'low risk stage 1 GTN cancer to high risk stage 3 (possibly 4) GTN cancer.' My scans showed that the tumors regrew and spread from the inside of my uterus to inside and outside of my uterus, to my left lung and around my lung/chest cavity and possibly to my kidneys. My oncologist did not want to wait any longer to start a new treatment due to it spreading and progressing so quickly, so I had a port placed in my chest and had a few more tests done. My oncologist contacted a specialist in this type of cancer at Mayo Clinic and they came up with the best treatment for me and my case. I received chemotherapy and steroid treatment every day for a week at a time. My HCG levels were dropping but not like they should have been so they changed the type of chemo drug used and continued on. 

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Due to how often I was receiving treatment, I was unable to work and the medical bills began to pile in. A nurse of mine mentioned a friend of hers, Suzette, that is involved in an organization called Ride for Hope and asked if it was okay if she gave her my number to see if they could help me. Within a few days, I received a text from Suzette and we talked for a little bit. She then told me that Ride for Hope would be sending me a check to help with my medical expenses. I was speechless. What Ride for Hope did for me helped me more than they know and I will forever be grateful for their kindness! Saying thank you will never be enough. But...

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Thank you to everyone involved in Ride for Hope for all that you do and stand for! Organizations like yours are beyond incredible!

 

After months and months of chemo, steroids, multiple other medications, blood tests, MRIs, CT Scans, losing my hair and eyelashes and everything else, I am officially in remission! I could not have gotten through this journey without the help from my doctors, nurses, family, friends and the extreme kindness and help from people in the community.