joshuaprichard

Courtney is female, 27 years old. She has never been married; however we have been together for more than five years. Courtney does not have any kids because she wanted to focus on her career. Although she would like to have them.

For years, Courtney had been complaining about a changing mole on her stomach. Finally, a new primary care physician removed the mole in August 2014. The lab said there was not a problem with the mole; however two months later, the lymph node directly under the excised mole blew up to the point where you could see it.

Her surgeon removed the lymph along with a second. Both had Melanoma in the nodes. From there she moved her entire life up to West Virginia (where her family is) and changed all her providers to Hopkins, including a Melanoma Oncology Specialist.

She has had everything from tons of biopsies, surgery to remove all her lymph nodes in her groin, EUG, EGD and many other consultations. Since March 2015, she has been to Hopkins 31 times for various procedures, tests and treatments.

She is about to begin Immunotherapy, in which she is very nervous about.

Courtney was an avid runner (distance runner in college) and very active. Since her surgery (4/24/15), she can barely get out of bed. She had post operative problems and continues to have to have the area aspirated 1-2x weekly. This is after they removed the first drain three weeks post surgery and then put another drain in because her leg swelled 3x the size of her other leg.

We have seen a huge shift in her spirit and overall mood. She is on a fanatical diet (I am a chef; therefore we have utilized the Vitamix and supplements extensively) to help alleviate some of the symptoms she has from a holistic standpoint. She is also looking into Mistletoe Treatments.

The one thing that keeps her going is through her free, public journal. If you would like to read or participate in her story, please feel free to go to:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/courtneyturpack

Despite having a great support network, she still needs all the help she can get. I joined this site realizing there is only so much we can do as loved ones to her. Right now, I think it would be beneficial for her to have friends and support from people who have directly dealt with this. And, it wouldn’t hurt for me to get advice and have support from what I hear is such a great community.

On a side note, she keeps talking about planning a retreat for Skin Cancer Patients. Apparently there are tons for Breast Cancer; however I think this would keep her going, to be able to organize and facilitate something for the greater good. She is currently working on a foundation to give back and hopefully not have this happen to anyone else.

The mole they originally removed ACTUALLY did have melanoma. It was a misdiagnosis; therefore the spreading. Her friend started a site for her to help with costs of travel and medical bills. She is not working anymore. However, every dollar she has received from this crowd funding site, has been used to try and organize some sort of retreat she would like to do in the Fall. In essence, this really helps to keep her spirits up and drive her mind away from the diagnosis. The site is:

http://www.gofundme.com/trcw5dk