A Slip N’ Slide Saved My Life

This is a guest post by Shayna Lowe, 26. She lives in West Virginia.

Never would I have thought a Slip N’ Slide would save my life.

On August 5th, 2024 I was at work and we were having a fun day for the kids at the juvenile detention center where I’m employed. One of the activities was a Slip N’ Slide. The kids begged me to go down the slide with them, I originally wasn’t going to do it since I was in my work uniform. I eventually caved and went down the slide. Within a few moments I started feeling absolutely horrible. Worse than I’ve felt in my entire life. I shrugged it off and finished my shift.

The pain got worse as the night went on. I called off work the next day and went to the first doctor I’d visit with that day. He saw a mass on an X-ray but told me I was too young for it to be anything of concern, if I felt bad in a week, come back and we’d talk about a CT scan.

This did not sit right with me and by the end of the night I went to the ER. Within 45 minutes they informed me that I had been internally bleeding from a cyst on my kidney. I end up getting sent to a better equipped hospital and cancer is mentioned, but they determine that it’s very likely not cancer and to just come back in 3 months for a follow-up scan. I was offered an earlier appointment via MyChart, but my appointment was canceled as I was told “too early for another CT scan”.

The time arrives for the scan, and the very next day I get the call. The phone call where they informed me they were pretty certain I had cancer. I was distraught.

Flash forward a month and a very wonderful surgeon removed my left kidney. The results came back as Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma, stage 2, grade 4. My mass was 17 cm in its biggest area. Somehow this did not spread past the kidney, all margins were clear.

Due to my age – I’m 26 – my doctors have ordered genetic testing to rule out a possible different subtype of kidney cancer. I’ve done a lot of googling since the diagnosis. Google is a blessing and a curse. At one point I was convinced that I better start planning a funeral, but I learned that kidney cancer can often be “cured”. Even with recurrence it seems that immunotherapy can stomp the cancer out if caught fast enough. Surveillance is very important when it comes to keeping this cancer at bay.

I’m about to start immunotherapy as a preventive measure, and I’m very scared but hoping this eliminates any chance of this disease coming back.

Needless to say, someone from above had to have been on my side. Not only was divine intervention at play here, but there were many people who have been helpful during this time. Having a good support system is very beneficial during these times. My family and friends have been pretty great. I also really appreciate the kidney cancer groups on Facebook. It really eases your mind talking to other people going through the same or at least similar issues. Talking to the individuals who also have been affected by kidney cancer has really eased my mind.  My life will never be the same, but I’m just hoping and praying for the absolute best. That Slip N’ Slide saved my life!