Blog

In 2016 on my 58th birthday I was diagnosed with T3N2 throat cancer.

My mom took me to Cleveland last year for VeloSano...

Why Cancer Can Kiss My A** 
 I was in prime form to take on such a battle; I was 27, young, strong and healthy, had a top notch medical team who would stop at nothing to ensure my best chance, was surrounded by a gigantic love and support system spread across the country and had a special angel who stuck by my side every step of the way. I knew exactly what I was fighting for.

​After dedicating 17 years to the cancer registry industry and CHAMPS Oncology, I thought my passion for this profession was pretty strong, until January 2019 when I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Ovarian Cancer. Suddenly the work our cancer registrars have done for more than 40 years meant even more to me. 

In July of 2016, my life was, in a word, awesome. My husband and I had married 3 months earlier after 10 years together, I just turned 38, and we were looking forward to starting a family together. I had a job I loved, was surrounded by people I love, and I was almost done with all those thank you cards. After an Indians game, I noticed that I had gotten some sun, and when I pulled my shirt away to see how much while looking in the mirror, I saw my left breast ripple. At that moment, my life changed forever, and was a lot less awesome for quite a while. 

I ride because I am still here. I remember going to sleep with my last thought being "I have cancer". I remember waking up and my first thought being "I have cancer". 

On August 25, 2018, after a week of struggling with a open sore on my foot from what we thought was an insect bite, my primary care physician told me to admit myself to Fairview Hospital.  It was there in the Emergency Room that my wife Bridget and I first heard the word LEUKEMIA from an oncologist and the ER Doctor.

In September of 2015, Owen Timura noticed a lump in his lower abdomen. This lump was thought to be an infection and he was treated for several weeks with antibiotics. This stubborn lump refused to go away so it was suggested that he have surgery to just simply drain it. On November 13, 2015, Owen went in for surgery but unfortunately this healthy and active 8 year old boy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

My cancer journey began in November 2016 with a random, unrelated pain. I saw a new doctor who noticed an odd test result from the year before, when I was pregnant with my daughter. After further testing I was diagnosed with Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma, a very rare vascular sarcoma that has presented itself in my liver.