"Surviving Against All Odds: A Conversation with a Brain Tumor Survivor"

Dear readers,

I recently had the privilege of interviewing a dear friend of mine who has overcome an incredible challenge in her life. Her name is Krista and a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As you can imagine, this news came as a shock to her and her loved ones, but through sheer determination and courage, she fought through the diagnosis and came out the other side stronger than ever. I hope that her story will inspire others who may be going through similar challenges and that it will serve as a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there is always hope.

Here is her story.

Me: "Krista, it's been a while since we caught up. How have you been?"

Krista: Hi Kari! I’ve been doing well, just taking life day by day and keeping my head up! But I can’t complain…I have been blessed.

Me: Thats great to hear! Speaking of being blessed, I saw that you were able to get a new puppy!

Krista: Well…I seem to have a dog problem haha. I foster a lot of dog for rescues and my local community, so in a nutshell I’m a foster failure. I fall in love with them all. So this makes number five! But little Frankie is super special. And she has completed our pack…I think!

Me: I can totally relate to that. My husband and I would probably end up adopting every foster animal we brought home. <eye roll> but, to keep on track because I could talk about animals all day and before we dive into the specifics of your diagnosis and recovery, could you give us a brief background on who you are?

Krista: Sure! I’m Krista, 37 years old. A transplant to NC from Los Angeles, CA. I have 3 beautiful children. They’re 16, 13 and 6. And I’m married to a wonderful man, Josh. We run Randy Marion Ford of West Jefferson together & I am an Licensed Independent Travel Agent. I love animals (we live on a farm), hiking, kayaking and camping. And I love everything holistic and organic in life!

"Although I've had the privilege of hearing Krista's story before, I felt that it was important to revisit it given the impact it could have on those who may be going through a similar experience. I hope that by sharing her journey, we can inspire and support others who may be struggling. So, we jumped right in!"

Me: That's great to hear, Krista! It sounds like you have a lot going on with running a business, being a travel agent, and raising three children. I'm also impressed that you're able to juggle all of those responsibilities and still find time for your hobbies and interests. Living on a farm must be amazing, and it's great to hear that you enjoy being outdoors and pursuing a healthy lifestyle. I'm excited to hear more about your experiences and how you've overcome the challenges you've faced.

Speaking about your love of life, our topic of discussion today is a diagnosis that has the potential to be a threat to one's life and I'm so grateful that you're willing to share your journey with us today. If we can jump in, could you start by telling us about the time leading up to your diagnosis? I recall that you mentioned having breast implants removed a few months prior. Could you share more about that experience and how it potentially led to your diagnosis?

Krista: Yes, you are right! Where do I even begin with this nightmare?!

2017 I had my son, Kashton. In 2018 I was done nursing and decided to get breast implants. As most women, after children, we just want to feel good in our skin again. So I got breast implants. Immediately I knew something was wrong. Four weeks after having implants placed, my appendix ruptured. I had to have another surgery to remove it….from that moment forward I knew my body did not like the foreign body I placed inside my chest.

2019…I had gained 30lbs, my hormones tanked and my menstrual cycle stopped. Something was wrong. I sought out help from every functional doctor who would see me. Basically my body was going through peri-menopause, my inflammation markers were through the roof, my labs looked pretty bad and that told a story of why I felt so awful. So I began researching.

2020…COVID hit, I had to close down my salon and stay home with my 3 children. This caused a heightened level of worry, stress and anxiety and my body felt and looked even worse! I was unrecognizable. During my research and labs being drawn with my doctors we found out I have a pretty crappy gene mutation called MTHFR. I carry two of the worst copies you can have, and these copies make it to where my body can not detox heavy metals and toxins. Well, guess what breast implants are made of? A chemical soup that include arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead, just to name a few. My body was completely shutting down. So I decided to find a plastic surgeon who would remove them. July 28, 2021 I had them removed (capsule and all)…immediately I felt better. My eyes told the story!!! They were clear again (this told me for sure my liver was affected).

Before and After Pictures

Me: I know that I asked you previously and no one knows for sure If the breast implants were the cause of your brain tumor but how do you feel about the possibility that your breast implants could have played a role in the development of your brain tumor?

Krista: I think my breast implants played a HUGE role. Do I think that was what caused it as a whole? No. But I think my body was under a great deal of stress from my body trying to protect itself from the foreign body I put into it.

And the timing was no coincidence. Six months after my implants were removed, we found out about my pituitary tumor in my brain.

Me: Can you tell us what lead up to you finally being diagnosed? I remember you said you had continual headaches. Can you speak about that for a moment?

Krista: Yes, of course. From 2019-2021 I had migraine type headaches daily. I tried everything from nerve blocks, to medication…the only thing that relieved them was acupuncture. But I just knew something wasn’t right.

I would go to doctors and tell them, “I think I have a brain tumor” and on several occasions they would smirk and say “that’s rare…no you don’t”. Until finally I decided to research (again) myself and had specific blood labs drawn. That’s where we found out my Prolactin levels were triple what it should be. From there, a doctor finally ordered an MRI and referred me to Duke.

Me: Don't you love how doctors think that because we didn't go to school, we don't know our own bodies?

Krista: Yeah…exactly. I learned from my dad, who is a physician…that doctors only learn what’s in the books. It’s up to them to decide to think outside the box and only the great ones do!

Me: "Can you walk me through how you felt when you received your diagnosis? What thoughts and emotions were going through your mind?"

Krista: This was the photo. I found out in this moment through a message from my Duke Endocrinologist, that I had a tumor. This was also the moment we just signed at the closing of our home. Talk about emotions. I was shaking, crying, my husband was scared because we did not know what type of tumor this was. Immediately he thought “cancer” 😔 And we just bought a home.

..continued: To say we were scared and emotional was an understatement. Now we had to go home and explain to the kids what was going on and that I would possibly be having brain surgery. So many emotions. Really put me in a dark place.

Me: I couldn't imagine having to get that kind of news. I'm sure your family and friends were devastated about the news. What was that moment like when you finally were getting the tumor removed? And what was recovery like?

Krista: Well, the day of surgery was probably the most terrifying day of my life. They removed my tumor doing an Endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal surgery.

This surgery also is called adenomectomy. It's the most common surgery used to remove a pituitary adenoma. During the surgery, a surgeon — a neurosurgeon partnering with a nose and sinus surgeon — removes the adenoma through the nose and sinuses. The surgery doesn't require an external cut. It does not affect other parts of the brain and the surgery doesn't cause a scar that you can see.

They had to give me lots of drugs to calm me down and then the wheeled me back. My surgery was five hours and when I woke up I had arterial IV’s in my ankles and my wrists…extremely painful and my nose had packing in it all the way up into my skull. The first 24 hours were rough, my labs were all over the place and I felt very sick coming off all the medication. After that, every day was better. But the whole “body adjusting” to the reset that just happened takes years. So to this day I’m still recovering.

Me: Krista, I have always been in awe of how you've faced life after your diagnosis. You wake up every day and manage your family and farm with grace. Despite the diagnosis, you didn't let it hinder you, and I'm thankful that you are here today to share your story. Before we conclude the interview, could you please give our readers an update on your latest scan? As you mentioned to me last time we spoke about this, you have to get checked every six months for the rest of your life. How did your last scan go?

Krista: Thank you Kari, life has never been easy for me but I make the best of it. So I went back to Duke last month and my neurosurgeon gave me the clear after viewing my MRI! I am tumor free and do not have to come back again unless my labs show otherwise!! I do have to get monthly lab work taken but that’s it for now! Now to continue this healing journey!!

Me: Krista, I appreciate you taking the time to share your personal journey. I'm certain that your story will serve as a source of inspiration for those who may be experiencing similar challenges or know someone who is. Is there any additional insight or personal experience you would like to offer?

Krista: Awww thank you Kari!! The only advice I have is, Life is a continuous battle. It doesn’t matter how many battles you’ve won or lost. What matters is that your fought, learned and survived.

I appreciate you taking the time to read Krista's incredible story. Her journey serves as a reminder that life is valuable and should be treasured regardless of the circumstances. If you found her story inspiring, please show your support by liking and sharing it. We would love to hear how Krista has inspired you today, so feel free to leave a comment.

Krista has generously shared links to her travel job, Facebook, and more for those who are interested in learning more about her. Link here.

On the same token, if you'd like to find out how I could potentially get your work noticed, check out this link to a story I posted talking all about it.

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