LOOSE CREEK  — In April 2023, Kim Crede, 53, of Loose Creek, knew something wasn’t right but didn’t push it. Now, though she’s going through the arduous journey, Crede said she should have done sooner.

“You have to go with your gut,” she said. “I knew something was wrong. You know your body better than anyone. You’ll be the first one to notice anything that seems off, so speak up. You have to advocate for yourself because you can’t expect others to figure it out for you.”

Crede felt pain and itching on her left side, but her annual mammogram showed nothing. “They found spots on the right side and then did an ultrasound on both,” she noted. “I was cleared on both sides.”

She breathed a little easier for a time, but in October of last year, she discovered a “huge” lump on her left breast. “It was about the size of a golf ball,” said Crede, who had a second mammogram and ultrasound, followed by a biopsy on Nov. 16. “I had the most aggressive form of breast cancer.”

Crede was diagnosed with Triple Negative Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). “I had another freakout,” she said. “My aunt died from the same type of breast cancer only five years before. She survived about six months after being diagnosed, and she was a healthy woman physically. I really started to panic at that point.”

Crede wanted to rid herself of any potential breast cancer and asked for both to be removed in a double mastectomy. “My doctor just wanted to do a lumpectomy on my left breast,” she said, noting it wasn’t believed the lymph nodes were cancerous.

The MRI before surgery showed that it had spread throughout the breast so the doctor felt a single mastectomy was best. They also took two lymph nodes to check for spread. Crede is well aware of cancer, with several family members having succumbed to the disease. “There has been quite a bit of cancer on both sides of the family,” she said, including bladder, prostate, melanoma, pancreatic, stomach, and breast cancer. “My doctor was surprised I wasn’t BRCA (BReast CAncer gene) positive because several of those types of cancer are genetic cousins and mutate.”

A positive result for a BRCA gene test indicates that a person has a harmful change in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, which increases their risk of developing certain cancers. Having a BRCA mutation means you have a likelihood of 45% to 85% of developing breast cancer in your lifetime, along with a 10% to 46% chance of ovarian cancer. The probability of breast cancer among the general population is about 12%. Ovarian cancer is rarer, affecting less than 1% of the general U.S. population.

Two weeks later, Crede underwent surgery, followed by a PET scan, which revealed three more areas possibly invaded by cancer: nodes, ribs, and a spot below that.

“The doctor made me feel like I was dying right there, she told me to pray, and to contact social work,” said Crede. “The surgeon thought it might just be inflammation and wanted another biopsy. I said no way.”

Instead, she traveled to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, for a second opinion. In February, she had four “Red Devil” chemotherapy treatments, followed by 12 treatments of taxol, another type of chemotherapy. The last 12 treatments were completed under the guidance of Dr. Shadi Haddadin in Jefferson City. “He was great to work with and I highly recommend him to anyone in the area seeking guidance for cancer,” said Crede.

During her treatments, Crede contracted COVID and bronchitis and learned she had Rocky Mountain Tick Fever. “I was overwhelmed,” she said.

Shortly after ending up in the ER, Crede contacted Neil Sidebottom at the Vaughan Functional Medicine Clinic in Jefferson City. He suggested trying some integrative therapies that others in the same situation were having luck with at the clinic. Crede also worked with Dr. Lucas Tims, an integrative oncologist who oversees her integrative cancer plan. He ordered high-dose vitamin C infusions and mistletoe injections, supplements, and many lifestyle changes.

“Within two weeks, a switch flipped,” said Crede. “I had felt so sick and weak, but then I began to feel better and even healthier. I was making it to my son’s ballgames and getting back into somewhat of a ‘normal’ routine.”

Crede walked every day, sometimes with family members or friends. “Even if it was just to the end of the driveway and back, I got out every day and walked,” she said. “Chemo isn’t easy by any stretch, but it doesn’t require much effort from you. Integrated care takes a lot more work on the patient’s part, but it felt good because I was taking some control back in this journey. It is tough being at the mercy of others all the time.”

In addition to walking, Crede adjusted her diet to include more fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and reduced sugar to improve her A1C.

After 16 rounds of chemo, Crede’s July scan looked good, with no evidence of cancer. “That’s not to say I’m officially in remission,” she said, noting she will undergo scans every few months for five years. “But it looks good right now. My life will look a little different from here on out, but I’m so thankful to still be here to tell this story. I’m very grateful for the folks at MD Anderson. It’s a great place for this kind of treatment.”

In addition to self-advocacy, Crede attributes a good attitude to her recovery. “There were times when little things would hit me,” she said. “I was in the grocery store looking at the expiration date of a can of green beans. I wondered if I would outlast them. Those kinds of thoughts are not good for you, so I really tried hard to re-focus my way of thinking.”

She added that expectations sometimes become a reality. “It’s all in your mindset,” Crede said. “I also had to get used to silence. I was the type of person that had a radio or TV going in the background. When I started meditating, I couldn’t handle the silence. I needed the chaos, but after a lot of practice, I’m good with it now.”

Integrated treatment was the difference. “It was a game-changer,” said Crede. “I didn’t know about it early, but I’m glad I went that route because it saved my life, mentally and physically. I think everyone should give it a try.”

Crede added that chemo helped as well. “I realized right away that I needed everything I could get my hands on to beat this,” she said.

This week marks the start of a 33-day radiation schedule (not counting weekends), and Crede is ready to get this leg of the journey started and eventually behind her. “They’re using proton radiation to stop cancerous tissue,” she said, adding these treatments will be in St. Louis because there isn’t a proton machine in mid-Missouri.

To date, Crede has undergone two Signatera MRD tests to measure how much cancer is in the bloodstream; both returned a result of zero. She is waiting on the results of the third test.

The AK Crusaders held an online fundraising event which has helped pay for the integrative treatments. “The community has been unbelievable,” said Crede. “My friends have gone above and beyond, and I wouldn’t have made it this far without them.”

A friend group prays the Rosary after Mass on Tuesdays at Immaculate Conception in Loose Creek. “Prayer has been huge; it keeps me grounded” said Crede. “Ultimately, though, it’s not in our control. If it’s my time, I hope I’m at peace knowing I did everything I could.”

Others have stepped up to raise funds for Crede or found other ways to help. “I had more support than I could handle some days,” she quipped. “I’m not one to ask for help, and I turned down offers of help at first. My friends sat me down and told me to accept it. They explained that it makes the people offering help feel better, and I needed it whether I realized it or not. We live in an amazing community. I saw more positive things than ever, and I realized there are a lot more good people than bad, especially in Osage County. This is a great place to live, and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

Kim’s family has been extremely supportive. “Brad has been there every step of the way,” she said of her husband. “There was a time when I was sick of doing chemo, and I felt horrible all the time. I began to think there was no point to it, and I wanted to stop, but Brad wasn’t having it. He’s been amazing.”

Their oldest daughter, Abby, is a resident at the University of Missouri. “She took it hard at first because she’s in the medical field and sees this type of thing on a daily basis–not always with good outcomes,” Kim said.

Ellie is working on her Master’s Degree to become a behavioral consultant. Jackson just started high school at Fatima and hopes to play basketball and baseball.

Kim was surprised by the support of her son’s travel baseball team, which wore pink jerseys with her name on the back in a show of solidarity. The Loose Creek/Westphalia town baseball team did the same thing, and Kim was overwhelmed.

“I couldn’t believe they did that for me,” said Crede, who will be honored on Oct. 10 at the Fatima softball “pink-out” game against New Bloomfield, starting at 5 p.m.

As Crede reflects on her journey, she appreciates the second chance and often thinks about how it almost didn’t happen. “The mammogram failed to show anything in April,” she said. “I’ve failed more than I’ve passed because I have dense breast tissue. The bottom line is you can’t sit back and wait and go to your annual exam and think that it’s going to show something wrong. If you think something isn’t right, keep pushing until you find a doctor who will listen and follow through.”