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Patient Story |
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Kristabel Damuth Lewisville, TX United States female Living with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for 3 years, 11 months Age: 38 The Bombshell My story started with an enlarged tonsil and a constant sore throat in June of 2006. Our doctor recommended that we remove my tonsils or perform a biopsy. My husband and I chose the biopsy because of the costs associated with the procedure. So, my doctor did a biopsy of the tonsil and after going through three pathologists, it came back as inconclusive. We scheduled a tonsillectomy for October 2nd which was a Monday. The pathology report came back on Tuesday and my doctor requested that both of us pick up a headset (which is never a good sign); we were then informed that I had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Stage II Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma). It is hard to explain, how we felt. Shocked? Surprised? Confused? Scared? Numb? It is hard to say. Our church family was so wonderful that by Wednesday night, they had assembled a group of women to come over and pray for us. When we first found out, it hit my mom and sister the hardest. It was only a couple of years ago when we learned that my mom was diagnosed with leukemia (CML). Thankfully she is in remission. The Journey The first step after our diagnosis was to find an oncologist. We were referred to one by our current doctor. We first met with the oncologist and he confirmed the diagnosis. He explained that our treatment would consist of four chemotherapy sessions and then four weeks of radiation therapy. We were warned that I would lose my hair and that I could experience a bunch of nasty side effects. We then learned another piece of bad news. My husband and I had made a serious administrative error. We had let our health insurance coverage lapse. The doctor then informed us that the treatments would cost in the neighborhood of $50K and that we needed to pay upfront before we could be treated by their office. So, things were looking pretty bleak. I had been diagnosed with cancer, we did not have any health insurance coverage, our income disqualified us for financial assistance programs, and I needed to get treatment sooner rather than later or my condition would get worse. Then a beautiful thing happened. God stepped in and good things started happening. We were referred to Texas Oncology in Denton. They agreed to see us without a down payment, helped us to work out a payment plan, and they worked with the chemotherapy drug company to get the most expensive drug donated to us. But it didn’t stop there. We had so many people praying with us and for us. We had many people offering to go with me to my chemo treatments. We had families providing us with meals, we had letters of encouragement. Every time we had a need, it was being taken care of, we felt loved. I was even blessed in the chemo process. I did not experience the terrible side effects, just some minor stuff. I lost my hair, which at first was just shedding like crazy, so I had my hubby shave off all my hair. I jokingly asked him if he would shave his head, not that I really want to see his white bald head. I also asked my then 2.5 year old son if he wanted to shave his head like Mommy, he looked at me and said “Nooooo!” The four chemotherapy sessions came and went and were completed by New Years. I then had to go through seventeen days of radiation treatment. It was a low dose radiation treatment, but it still left me with a dry mouth for a few months. The Impact Initially, I wondered ‘why me, Lord?’ Then one day, an elder at our church came up to me and said ‘Our Lord must have thought you were worthy to be tested.’ I worried at times how we would pay for all this treatment as we have no health insurance. I think all of those prayers must have been working over-time because I felt at peace for the most part. I know that if it wasn’t for everyone’s support and prayers I definitely wouldn’t have gotten through this. I hope the Lord would use my cancer to draw others to Him and I know He has a purpose for it. I came across this bible verse while going through the women’s summer bible study and thought it was so appropriate. 1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. Conclusion It is still hard to fathom, what originally was a sore throat, turned out to be Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I am not in the clear yet, but it’s a step toward it. There’s a high probability of the cancer recurring within the first year, and the chances decrease each year after that. |
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