In January, Courtney began experiencing symptoms that seemed random: extreme fatigue, drenching night sweats and weight loss.
“I wasn’t feeling well and thought I had a fever, which could explain the night sweats. I work full time as an intake counselor at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital. I have two young kids, so it wasn’t unusual to be constantly tired,” she said. “On the other hand, I also had terrible on-and-off pain in my chest and back.”
Courtney, who has a history of migraines, went to the emergency department where she was diagnosed with a complicated migraine.
“They did several MRIs of my head and brain. Nothing showed up, and I was cleared and sent home.”
Her symptoms didn’t go away, but she was anxious about going back to the emergency department.
“I didn’t want to show up and be told again that nothing was wrong. I was also afraid of being told something was seriously wrong,” she admitted. “In hindsight, I should have gone back.”
But she had an upcoming vacation in Mexico, so she decided to go as she’d planned.
“The day after we arrived, a huge lump appeared on my neck. I didn’t want to get care while I was on vacation, so I tried to enjoy the trip. I still thought it was some kind of infection.”
The day after returning home from Mexico, Courtney went to the Aurora Urgent Care in West Bend and met with Dr. Renee Jahnke.
“Somehow, Dr. Jahnke was able to piece it all together without ever letting me know that something was wrong. She made me feel so comfortable. She ordered blood tests and a CT scan, then called me personally with the results,” she said. “She told me there was a mass in my chest and that I needed to get to the hospital right away. I was devastated. I didn’t know what it meant.”
Dr. Jahnke arranged for a direct admission to Aurora Medical Center – Grafton. The radiologist met with Courtney right away and explained that she had lymphoma.
“I didn’t even know what lymphoma was. I’m 31 years old with two young kids. I didn’t understand how I could have cancer.”
More testing revealed Courtney had a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: grade 3B follicular lymphoma with a triple hit.
“Dr. Jahnke caught it very early before the cancer had a chance to spread to my organs or bone marrow,” shared Courtney. “I truly believe if I had seen anyone else, the outcome would have been much different. She saved my life.”
Courtney successfully underwent chemotherapy under the care of Dr. Corey Shamah.
“When I first met Dr. Shamah, I was so distraught and crying hysterically. I asked him if I was going to die, and he replied, ‘I hope not!’ He’s been by my side throughout this journey and has done everything he promised he would do. He makes me feel safe.”
Courtney is in remission now, but the form of cancer she had is not curable. It’s expected to return.
“It’s terrifying, but we have a plan in place for when we need it,” she said. “I’m so grateful to Drs. Jahnke and Shamah. Without their quick action and collaboration, I’m confident I would not be where I am today. They saved my life, and I could never thank them enough.”
How you can help
Our cancer care programs and services are supported by charitable gifts. You can help people like Courtney in their cancer journeys by making a gift today. To learn more about how your gift makes a difference, please contact Kristen Chenoweth.