By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-14 19:21:52 | Updated at 2024-11-22 03:50:17
1 week ago
A woman who battled cancer has revealed how she was brushed off by doctors for years because she was told she was 'too young' to get the disease.
Katie Coleman, now 33, from Austin, Texas, was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of kidney cancer known as renal mass carcinoma back in December 2020.
And while she was 'terrified' over the news, she also felt 'relief' knowing that she finally had an answer after 'feeling off' for years.
In an excerpt from her new memoir, entitled Too Young for Cancer, which was shared by Business Insider, she explained that she 'knew something was wrong' for quite some time - but struggled to get any medical professionals to 'take her seriously.'
Katie, who was then 29 years old, said that 'several doctors' had told her previously that she 'was too young for cancer.'
She recalled sitting in a hospital room with husband Brian when she was given the heartbreaking news that she had cancer.
'My vision tunneled in as my heart rate, quickly escalating, began setting off alarms behind me,' she wrote.
'For years, I had kept asking doctors if we could rule out cancer in my pursuit of vague symptoms.
A woman who battled cancer has revealed how she was brushed off by doctors for years because she was told she was 'too young' to get the disease
Katie Coleman, now 33, from Austin, Texas, was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of kidney cancer known as renal mass carcinoma back in December 2020 (seen)
And while she was 'terrified' over the news, she also felt 'relief' knowing that she finally had an answer after 'feeling off' for years. She's pictured during her treatment
'I'd been terrified of this moment, and the catastrophic worrying had led me to imagine the delivery of this news probably 100 times before.
'But now that it was actually happening, it was nothing like I'd imagined it would be.'
Katie explained that despite the devastating blow, she was happy that she had finally found a doctor who 'believed her and seemed to genuinely care' after struggling for years.
'It felt like I finally had an answer to why I'd been feeling off, and it wasn't all in my head,' she continued.
'I wasn't surprised to hear something was wrong because I had known something was wrong; I just hadn't gotten anyone to take me seriously.
'But now we had undeniable proof, and for the first time, I was sitting across from a doctor who believed me and seemed to care genuinely.
'I knew this wouldn't be an easy road, but at least I no longer had to travel it alone.'
After a series of tests, she discovered that her cancer was stage four and had spread.
In an excerpt from her new memoir, she explained that she 'knew something was wrong' for quite some time - but struggled to get doctors to 'take her seriously'
Katie, who was then 29 years old, said that 'several doctors' had told her previously that she 'was too young for cancer'
She began taking a 'chemo-like drug' in February, and that June, she got surgery - which involved 'a liver resection and the removal of her kidney.' Her scar from the surgery is seen
'Unfortunately, because of how rare this is, there isn't much info or data available on treatment protocols and no clinical trials to join,' she wrote on Instagram at the time.
In November 2022, she was told told there was 'no evidence of disease' in her kidney or liver. She's seen recently with husband Brian
'My oncologist wants me to start treatment that has worked on other kidney cancer types but there isn't any data about it being used in the type I have from what I understand.
'I'm scared, I'm terrified, and I'm devastated.
'But I'm going to push on and I'm going to fight.'
She was told that she not only had a massive tumor on her kidney, but she also had a series of smaller tumors on her liver.
She began taking a 'chemo-like drug' in early February 2021, and by April of that year, she revealed that the tumor in her kidney was 'shrinking.'
That June, she underwent surgery - which involved 'a liver resection and the removal of her right kidney' - and in November 2022, she was told told there was 'no evidence of disease' in her kidney or liver.
Now, she is gearing up to tell her harrowing story in her upcoming tome, which hit stands this week.
