An elderly foster dog found my tumor.
A spiritually transformative experience that defines who I am today.
My elderly rescue dog, Rusty, who I adopted in 2020, detected a 15 cm tumor in my pelvis that I had no idea I had. He consistently pressed his paws, head, and nose into the tumor, causing an intense pain that sent me to the doctor.
On October 6th, 2021, I was diagnosed with a massive malignant-appearing ovarian tumor. It was one of those moments that changes you. Forever.
Standing in my backyard during that life-altering phone call, I began trembling uncontrollably and experienced my surroundings with new eyes. I looked at the trees, the sky, the birds, my dogs…was I leaving this place?
In a matter of weeks, I was rushed through a series of devastating appointments: oncologist, ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, bloodwork, GI specialist, colonoscopy.
I received near-death counseling, hypnotherapy sessions, reiki healing, massage, and became enthralled with near-death experience research, messages from beyond, and what happens when we die. Throughout this experience, I received many intuitive messages, myself.
In my darkest and most extreme moments of terror, I would receive the same message…
“You’re going to surprise everyone.”
Over and over and over again, this message came through. When I was crumbling into a pit of existential dread as the MRI walls closed in on me, I heard…
“You’re going to surprise everyone.”
When tears were streaming down my face as they injected dye into my veins, I heard…
“You’re going to surprise everyone.”
When I looked at myself in the mirror and felt the possibility of dying at 38, I heard…
“You’re going to surprise everyone.”
On October 22nd, 2021, my body endured a major open surgery. I didn’t know how much life I would have left based on what was lurking inside me. After 6 unconscious hours on a cold metal operating table, I woke up to my oncologist standing next to me.
She explained that the lab specialists tested my tumor thoroughly and could not find any cancer. She seemed shocked. How could a malignant-appearing tumor not be….malignant? In what felt like a miraculous shift of consciousness, my tumor had NO cancer.
As I began to process what she was saying…that I would be healthy again, that I would have more time on earth, that I would have more birthdays, I started tearing up with joy.
Then, she put her hand on my arm, looked into my eyes, and said …
“You really surprised everyone.”
Rusty received a Diamond Collar Hero Award from The Oregon Humane Society on my 40th birthday (all the divine timing is truly amazing). I gave an acceptance speech, we were on the news, and they created a heartwarming video about our story.
