Nicole was working outdoors at a state park on Kodiak Island when she started experiencing shortness of breath and stomach pains. She was only 23 years old and it was 2021, so she first assumed her respiratory issues were due to COVID-19. Her symptoms kept worsening, but doctors regarded her concerns as minor issues. An emergency room visit again resulted in a general dismissal – she was given an ultrasound that revealed a few cysts and sent home with pain meds. Two hours later, after vomiting and fainting, she was brought back to the emergency room. An X-ray revealed the true source of her pain was stage IV non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Halting clinical trial funding seems absolutely ridiculous. Research needs to be continued so people can get treatment.
Nicole had to fly to Anchorage for immediate biopsies and treatment, but the doctor in Anchorage wanted to send Nicole out of state for treatment, so she moved to New York for treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Medicaid covered her chemotherapy and too many surgeries to count. Doctors determined her cancer was stubborn, but thankfully, a new immunotherapy treatment had just been approved by the FDA, and Medicaid agreed to cover the costly treatment
Having finished her treatments in 2023, Nicole finally felt well enough in 2024 to move back to Kodiak and work at the same state park where she was before. Between her history of cancer and her more recent BRCA1 diagnosis, she will continue to need monitoring. Thanks to new treatments and ongoing cancer research, Nicole can take care of her health and be well enough to live and work in the place she loves.