Melissa Hopkins

February 2016

For a period of three years from 2008 to 2011, I experienced a whole year without a period, followed by two years of irregular and very frequent periods which were heavy, painful (severe stabbing pain in my lower right side and back) and left me feeling faint and exhausted. I visited primary care physicians, specialists and a gynecologist to try to learn what was going on with my health. Unfortunately, they all missed the ovarian cancer that was slowly growing throughout my body.

Then, nearly one week before my 30th birthday in July 2011, I awoke with severe lower back pain. I thought I was getting my period again. However, I soon collapsed and passed out for several hours. All alone when I awoke, the pain radiated throughout my whole body. I couldn’t walk. I crawled to my cell phone and called 911.

At the hospital, the ER doctor performed an ultrasound and after a few minutes, he became very quiet. He left the room. The nurse said he was paging the on-call gynecologist who, upon arrival, told me I had cancer and that it was the worst she had ever seen. I was then transferred to another hospital capable of performing surgery to remove the cancer.

When I awoke from the surgery, which was performed by a gynecologic oncologist, I was told that a 5.5-pound tumor and nearly 56 ounces of tumor fluid and blood had been removed (the tumor had ruptured). My right ovary was non-existent. The tumor had overtaken my ovary, used the blood supply of the fallopian tube to grow, had spread to my right side and back, and was also attached to my abdomen. Luckily, the cancer hadn’t spread to my Lymph Nodes. Recovery was difficult; I spent nearly a week in the hospital and several months recovering at home.

The initial tests were inconclusive and I had to wait over a month for the pathology results. After receiving the results, I was told that I had sex chord stromal granulosa cell tumor and that chemotherapy/radiation wouldn’t work in my case; there really was nothing they could do but monitor and watch my tumor markers. Surgery would be my primary solution and other potential treatments would be saved for a time when surgery was no longer a viable option.

Six months after my initial surgery, I had another surgery to remove the growth on my remaining ovary. Thankfully all tests revealed that this growth was benign.

Nearly two years later in January 2015, my tumor markers began to rise. So, this time I opted for an exploratory surgery and a complete hysterectomy. Now, it has been almost a year since my last surgery and all my tumor markers have declined. I have graduated to seeing my gynecologic oncologist every 6 months.

This past fall, I started law school to pursue my ultimate goal of becoming an employment/labor law attorney. Knowing that my future is uncertain, I am seeking to live the life of my dreams with my best friend by my side.

Editor’s Note: Melissa lives in Eugene, OR where she attends the University of Oregon Law School during the school week. On the weekends, Melissa lives in Portland with her partner, and enjoys what little free time she has with her sister’s family including a nephew, a niece and doggy nephew.