Over the course of four weeks, members of the community will be sharing their story. These stories are about individuals and their experience with cancer. They are the reason the Lowell community comes together for the Pink Arrow Football Game. Each story is written by the person you will read about or by someone on their behalf. We thank them for sharing their story and courage.
Photo courtesy of Heather Eveland and is used with permission. Heather donates her time to get to know those she is photographing and capture an image to be used with each story. You can visit her photography website and Facebook page for more information about her work.
Heather is also the volunteer coordinator for Pink Arrow events. If you are interested in helping out at Community Day (Thursday, Aug. 16) or game day (Thursday, Aug. 30) please contact her by calling 616-291-8907 or send an email to [email protected]. Heather will let you or your group know what help is needed to determine the best fit.
Below is Maria I. Vega’s story of how she battled cancer.
Hello, my name is Isela! I have a wonderful husband and four amazing children. I’m also a grandmother to two beautiful grandchildren. I’ve been blessed to be a stay at home mom for the last 9 years and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
My cancer journey started on July 26, 2017 when I was struck by excruciating pain on my left side. The pain was so unbearable that I had no choice but to go to the emergency room the following day. Once admitted into the emergency room my pain was treated immediately, labs were drawn, and a CT scan was performed. After some time had gone by my daughter and I started to wonder how come no one had come back to talk to us but then shortly after we saw the doctor walk in, she introduced herself and right away told us that she had some bad news and good news and asked what we wanted to hear first. I looked at my daughter and we both decided we’d like to hear the bad news first. In that moment I would have never imagined the news I was going to get but she said “ok, Maria, the bad news is that we found a tumor on your right kidney that has caused the kidney to stop working properly”.
My daughter and I went completely silent and all we could do was look at each other but in that moment I knew that I had to be strong. As I looked at my daughter I also knew that she would be just as strong if not stronger for me and her siblings. She continued to ask the doctor’s questions but all I could think about was in my husband and children wondering what would happen to them if I could no longer be around. But then in a matter of seconds I said to myself, “there is no time to feel bad or question why me, there is only time to stay strong and fight the good fight. I then asked what the good news was and that’s when I was told that the entire right kidney would have to be removed but that my left kidney would take over and keep my body functioning just as well.
We were then instructed to contact a urologist as soon as possible to get the process going. Six days following the emergency room visit I had the appointment set up and this time my husband, daughter, and oldest son accompanied me. The urologist then confirmed that indeed it was kidney cancer and I needed to be treated immediately. This meant the kidney had to be removed as soon as possible which made me extremely nervous because it was a major surgery. The good news was that we were once again reassured that I could continue to live a normal life with only a few minor changes and precautions but also had to continue follow up with my urologist to make sure the cancer did not come back. I’m extremely happy that all of my doctors acted fast and scheduled the surgery as soon as possible.
On August 21st I was scheduled to go into the operating room at seven am and I must say it was one of the most nerve wracking and intense days of my life. I knew that going into that operating room I had to be strong and show my family that I was going to be ok. I remember closing my eyes and saying to myself “God, I put myself in your hands and may Your will be done”. After five long hours in surgery I was finally able to see my family. The anticipation was excruciating and seemed never ending but I was incredibly thankful to finally be with my loved ones. Thanks to all of the incredible doctors and amazing nurses my five day hospital stay went smoothly and with no complications.
Coming home was one of the best feelings in the world because I was received by all of my loved ones. The atmosphere was filled with endless love and care and I knew that I would be very well cared for during my recovery. It sure wasn’t easy but my recovery went just as planned and I have my family to thank for that. Their love, care and attention gave me the strength to stay positive and push forward. Without them this would’ve been a very difficult journey to take.
As this journey continues I pray that I continue to have the strength and courage to know that God has a plan and that He is with me at all times. I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to say that I’m another cancer survivor. I’m incredibly thankful to have the support of the Pink Arrow community as well because the support has been a wonderful blessing. Thank you to all of those who make it possible, God bless you! I would also like to give my most sincere blessings to all of my fellow fighters who continue to fight the good fight and my dearest prayers to those who are no longer with us.
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