Medical Breakthroughs: Woman shares rare cancer diagnosis journey on social media
Katie Coleman is all over social to share what she calls a unique journey.
Katie says she was misdiagnosed and gaslighted for years.
“Everybody thought my symptoms were likely just from anxiety,” Katie said.
After several trips to the ER, Katie was diagnosed with metastatic oncocytoma, a rare stage four form of kidney cancer.
“They're a benign tumor that can grow on the kidney,” Katie said. “What made my case so rare is the fact that it spread. There’s only single digit case reports of that documented of worldwide."
Through a social media support group, Katie found help at the National Cancer Institute.
Oncologist Mark Ball and his team created a game plan just for Katie. They removed her kidney, and then ablated several lesions in her liver.
“We hesitate to use the word ‘cure’ until we have more and more time,” Ball said. “So, the more time goes by, the more we're hopeful that this did the trick."
Every day since her diagnosis, Katie has made social media posts in hopes of helping someone else facing a rare diagnosis. She's even written a book.
“I promised myself that if I made it to and through that surgery, I would dedicate the time that I was given to try to make things better for others,” Katie said.
Katie's book, “Too young for cancer,” will be on sale in November. She is donating her entire book deal and proceeds to help fund research for rare cancers.
You can find Katie’s social media journey online.
Watch the video above for the full story.