Malinda Bowman

Perkins, OK

Colon Cancer Survivor

Although I gave my life to Christ after college, I believe that spiritually, I experienced true growth after I had cancer. The last three years I've grown tremendously.

Growing up, I was immersed in 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) activities. I raised hogs, gained leadership qualities and garnered multiple awards and honors all the way through college, receiving a degree in animal science and agricultural communication at Oklahoma State University.

I love to initiate programs as well as participate in them. My husband and I started a Young Farmer and Rancher program in our county through the Farm Bureau of Oklahoma as well as a program for 7-12 year olds.

And although my family had a history of both colon cancer and diabetes, neither of those were a thought in late January 2005 when, in the middle of a tea party with my daughter, I became violently ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. Emergency surgery revealed a solid cancerous mass in three inches of my colon and cancer in nine out of 10 lymph nodes tested.

Months later, my physician confessed to me that based on what he saw during the surgery, he wasn't sure I'd live more than three months.

I chose an oncologist, and, during the next two-and-a-half years, underwent a number of major surgeries and a variety of chemotherapy treatments, including one experimental trial. My body was exhausted; I barely had any strength left.

I looked into Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at one point, but my family really wanted me to get treatment from a well-known hospital in another state. I went that way for them, but it wasn't working. When I started seeing the CTCA ads on television, I called again.

I had my first CTCA appointment in November 2007. Everyone was so happy, helpful and concerned. I was skeptical. Was this real? The last place I'd received treatment, I'd been treated like a number, left alone in a room when I was given chemotherapy. No one asked my name; no one seemed to care. But when I met with Dr. Douglas Kelly, who would be my CTCA radiation oncologist, I knew this was where I wanted treatment.

Dr. Kelly explained the radiation treatment option he wanted me to consider, TomoTherapy®, and told me he felt it would give me a reasonable chance of success. Neither he nor Dr. Petra Ketterl, my medical oncologist, sugar-coated anything, but they gave me hope & a huge ray of hope. And I decided to take my stand on that.

I started on oral chemotherapy and TomoTherapy® in mid-December. In addition, I made use of a number of integrative therapies available at CTCA. Physical therapists and occupational therapists helped me regain strength and provided auriculotherapy (electrical stimulus applied to external ear points corresponding to locations on the body), which dramatically decreased the nausea I was experiencing. Nutritionists taught me about removing trans-fat, processed and artificial sugars from my diet and the importance of eating complex carbohydrates. They also increased my protein intake. With their help, I began eating well and shed 35 pounds I wanted to lose.

Naturopathic practitioners recommended different supplements, like lecithin, which gave me the hugest instant relief for the night sweats and fevers I experienced as a result of the cancer. They also taught me that not all vitamins are created equal and that I needed to check the quality and purity of what I was buying. It was all so helpful.

Through the entire three years, I've felt God's presence and assurance that He'd use my cancer for good, both in my life and in the lives of my family. And He has. I've been overwhelmed by all He's provided, both in people who have prayed for me and my family, met many of our needs or accompanied me to treatment. Even when we had bills to pay, He provided money, sometimes through people we hardly knew, people who knew I was fighting cancer and felt led by God to give us something.

Another blessing I'm receiving from the cancer is the opportunity to share my story with others and be a blessing to them. That's probably the biggest gift I've received through all of this.

My most recent tests show the cancer in much smaller concentrations and only in my liver. CTCA cares about you as a person. The doctors are personally fighting the cancer with you. They give you options and will be there for you with the option you choose. At CTCA, it's like a family. The staff and I even celebrated with cake when I finished my radiation treatment.