She's a Survivor

Most people who know me know the story of my best friend, April. April was diagnosed a year and a half ago with cancer. It's a rare cancer called Rabnomyosarcoma. They discovered the tumor when it was in Stage IV, and they gave April a 20% chance of survival. The tumors were growing so rapidly and aggressively that the doctors basically told April it wasn't IF she survived the cancer, it was HOW LONG she would survive the cancer. They did a hysterectomy immediately, hoping to stop the spreading of the tumor. By that time, the tumors had already spread to her lymph nodes and parts of her kidney's. They started her on a VERY aggressive treatment of radiation and chemo. She did them both at the same time, and she did chemo treatments for an entire year. As most cancer patients do, she lost all of her hair. She went from a healthy 24 year old weighing 120 pounds to a very sick woman weighing 85 pounds. She was so sick that she couldn't keep food down. She got to the point where she couldn't eat anything because the thought of food made her sick. The doctors were concerned about her weight, and basically gave her permission to eat a milkshake everyday just to get some fat in her body.

There were days when April would call me in such agony that it made my heart ache. Because I live in Denver, there was very little I could do for April other than let her cry on the phone and cry with her. I couldn't hold her like I so desperately wanted. I couldn't take away the pain. I couldn't hold her hand. I couldn't be there when she was so sick. More than anything, I wanted to take away her agony. If I could have taken the pain from her, I would have gone through it for her.

As you can imagine, this was a very emotional time for both April and me. I didn't know two people could survive something like this, but we are forever soul mates because of the time we shared during this time. We cried a lot together. We a laughed a lot together. We talked about old times. We talked about our future. We talked about our hopes for the future. She talked about her desire for Aydan, her two year old son, to grow up knowing about her and remembering her. We talked about faith. We both agreed that the doctors were wrong. We decided that it wasn't about HOW LITTLE TIME SHE HAD LEFT but HOW LONG HER LIFE WAS GOING TO BE. Rather than talking about the memories Aydan would have of April, we talked about April living those memories with Aydan as he grew up. It never was, "I hope Aydan remembers me." It was, "Aydan and I are going to make memories together."

I have never seen a person fight so hard for her life. She wasn't going to let this cancer kill her. Everyday that she was puking her guts out, she was thankful that she was puking her guts out because it meant she was still alive. Those days when most people would have wished for death to end the pain, she was thankful for the pain because it meant she still felt. Everyday that she was so sick she couldn't get off the sofa to play with Aydan, she was grateful she could be in the same room as Aydan. It was a long, hard year for April, Zach and Aydan.

During this time, April ran to God. Her faith has grown in leaps and bounds this past year. We never stopped praying together. There were nights when I cried out to God to save April. This world would not the be same without April. I weeped to God to spare her life. On many occasions, April and I sobbed, asking God to spare her life.

I am happy to report that when the doctors gave her a 20% chance of survival, April is now eight months cancer free. She got the results from her scan today (she has a scan every three months), and they are negative, which is a positive thing! For now, we keep on waiting for that scan every three months. God continues to answer our prayers. God knows that I couldn't live without April, and God knows that Aydan needs April. I am so emotional right now because every time April calls me to share her good news, it takes everything in my power to keep from weeping. There is no other person like April, and I thank God everyday that she is still here. She is a fighter. She is my best friend, and I am so thrilled to report that she gets to keep on living.

The fight isn't over, by any means. Continue to keep her in your prayers. She still has a long road to travel, but everyday that her scan comes back negative is another chance to keep living her life.