8-Year-Old Fights Rare Form of Breast Cancer
Chrissy Turner, age 8, will undergo a mastectomy in December to treat a rare form of breast cancer. (Photo: Chrissy’s Alliance/Facebook)
Only one in 1 million people are diagnosed with secretory breast carcinoma, a rare form of breast cancer. Eight-year-old Chrissy Turner is one of them.
The Utah girl was diagnosed on Nov. 9 after she approached her mother about a lump on her chest.
“She came to us on a Sunday afternoon, she said, ‘Mommy I have been scared and I have this lump.’ It had been there for a while,” Chrissy’s mother, Anette Turner, told ABC News.
Fortunately, Chrissy’s cancer is “very treatable,” her physician, Dr. Brian Bucher, told ABC News. She will have a mastectomy early in December, which should prevent the cancer from returning.
Chrissy Turner, age 8, has a type of breast cancer that affects less than one percent of the population. (Photo: Chrissy’s Alliance/Facebook)
“I was kind of scared to kind of figure out what it was,” Chrissy told ABC News. “But I knew that I could fight it off and I hope that I can fight it off.”
While she waits for surgery, Chrissy has been busy with her sister, Brianna. Recently the pair penned this inspiring (and adorable) message on a balloon: “Yea, I’m a girl. And I fight like one too.” The sisters later released the balloons into the sky.
Chrissy Turner and her sister released balloons with inspiring messages. (Photo: Chrissy’s Alliance/Facebook)
This isn’t the first time the Turner family has battled cancer. Chrissy’s mother, Annette, is an ovarian cancer survivor.
Chrissy’s father, Troy, has been fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2008. He is currently undergoing regular checkups to monitor the slow-growing cancer. Medical costs caused the family to declare bankruptcy in 2013, according to a fundraising page set up by a family friend.
Related: 23 Truths About Breast Cancer That Survivors Want You to Know
Chrissy’s father, Troy, underwent aggressive chemotherapy for non-Hodgkins lymphoma when Chrissy was a baby. (Photo: Chrissy’s Alliance/GoFundMe)
To help with Chrissy’s medical bills, friends of the family have created a fundraising page where well-wishers can donate online.
“I haven’t gotten personal with Annette about the costs incurred with Troy’s cancer yet, or the expected costs for Chrissy’s treatment, but I know for the past seven years, the costs they have incurred from Troy’s cancer has been devastating,” family friend Melissa Papaj says on the fundraising site.
“Words simply cannot express our gratitude to everyone for your support and prayers for our sweet Chrissy,” the family wrote on the Chrissy’s Alliance Facebook page.
Posing with Superman, Chrissy Turner shows her strength. (Photo: Chrissy’s Alliance/Facebook)
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