Antra Boyd

August 2020

It was September of 2018 while I was on my computer, working on behalf of a client as a nurse advocate, when I got the call. The gynecologist said, “Antra, they found an 8-centimeter mass on your left ovary; you need to see the gynecologic oncologist immediately.” That one sentence turned my life upside down. I went from helping people with challenging medical diagnoses navigate the healthcare system to being a patient myself.

During my initial appointment with the gynecologic oncologist I brought a nurse advocate with me. Thank goodness I did, as I did not remember a thing the doctor told me after he said this could be cancer. It was like everything I had ever learned as a nurse and as an advocate went out the window. I couldn’t even remember the questions I had asked. I really thought I could teach people how to advocate for themselves in the health care system. However, I found as the patient that it is really hard, if not impossible, when faced with the possibility of a life-threatening illness. After I left the office I had three weeks until my proposed surgery date, and I got busy. I wanted to be as informed as possible about my options before I went into a surgery set to take all my lady parts out. I gathered a support team of family, friends, and colleagues to help me research my options. I went deep into the medical literature at two medical school libraries, and I asked all my doctors, including the radiologist who did my ultrasound and CT scan, a ton of questions. As my surgery date neared, while it was clear what I should do on paper, in my heart I still didn’t know. Just because a doctor tells you what the best course of treatment is, that doesn’t make it true. Funny thing, I was getting dressed two days before my surgery and I suddenly knew, I mean really knew, what I wanted to do. I opted for a total robotic hysterectomy with the option to save my right ovary if it looked healthy. I went into that surgery with the utmost confidence that I would come out the other end safe and well. The thing is, I knew what to do. I knew for me what was the best course of treatment. I have so much respect and admiration for my doctors; while they helped to guide me, they did not decide for me. I decided, and that is true empowerment. It felt so good for me to take charge of my own healthcare.

Pathology came back a couple of weeks later, and it turned out I had a very rare ovarian cancer called a Sertoli-Leydig tumor. This occurs in about 0.5% of all ovarian cancers and is a very slow-growing tumor. In addition, I was free of cancer everywhere else. Now, being the person that I am, I wanted a second, and a third opinion on my tumor type; so I got busy once again and had my tumor looked at by two different pathologists in the United States. What they independently decided was that I did not have a Sertoli-Leydig tumor but rather a Female Adnexal Mass of Wolffian Origin (FATWO). This cancer is even rarer, actually only 0.1% of all ovarian cancers, and there are only ninety documented cases in the literature. How did this change things? It really didn’t because my gynecologic oncologist recommended chemotherapy in spite of the fact that this type of tumor does not respond to chemotherapy. As soon as the word chemotherapy came out of his mouth, I said no. Again, I just knew that chemotherapy was not for me. Literally, I felt my entire body sing a song of “Hallelujah” when I said no. It was one of the most joyful moments I have ever experienced in my life. It just didn’t make sense for me to do chemotherapy for a chemotherapy-resistant tumor. Instead, I got busy once again and went to a naturopathic doctor specializing in cancer care, and I spent three months making my body as healthy as possible. I did intravenous ozone therapy, I did intravenous sodium-bicarbonate therapy, andI took a bunch of well-thought-out supplements. I had acupuncture, cranial-sacral manipulation, and I meditated daily. Today I am cancer-free and thriving. This experience taught me that it is possible to be your own best advocate At the same time it taught me that having an advocate at my side was the best thing I could have done so that I did not have to do it alone. It taught me that I have innate wisdom, and if I listen carefully, I know what to do. I learned what it means to truly take charge of my own health and not give it away to someone who knows more than I do. Because of this, I felt so empowered and so ready to heal. Having the doctors I did on my side just added to my healing journey, and I will be forever grateful for all that they did for me.

So, pay attention to your body. I knew something was not quite right when I had to pee all the time, when I couldn’t lose any weight even when I was exercising and eating clean, and when I was having an unusual discharge that I thought was due to my IUD. I went in to be seen, and because I didn’t wait, they caught the cancer early. Know the signs of ovarian cancer and listen to your body. If something seems amiss, see your doctor. It could save your life.