At the end of September 2023, TikToker Amanda (@blondiebaby11) got an ultrasound done because her level of liver enzymes was elevated. It turned out that she had a mass on her kidney and was finally able to get a CT scan a month and a half later.
At the age of 32, she found out that she had translocational renal cell carcinoma, a very aggressive and rare type of kidney cancer.
There was a 17-centimeter mass wrapped around her kidney and adrenal glands. She also had nodules on her lungs, but the doctors weren’t too worried about them.
On November 17, her left kidney was removed, along with an adrenal gland on her kidney. She started immunotherapy and did it for 11 months until the doctors realized that the nodules on her lungs were growing.
The kidney cancer had spread to her lungs, putting her at stage four translocational renal cell carcinoma. She had a 13 percent chance of living past five years.
She started oral chemotherapy, and it was working great at first. It shrank her tumors, but suddenly, the doctors saw growth where her main tumor used to be. The nodules on her lungs kept growing as well.
She started a new oral chemotherapy regimen and was on it for 17 days. It made her nauseous, and she threw up after every single meal.
Then, the doctors discovered that her gallbladder was full of gallstones, so she had to get her gallbladder removed.
They took her off chemo for seven weeks and three days. When she got her scans done on June 30, they showed that her cancer had spread significantly, to her liver, abdomen, and pelvic area.
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Her doctor gave her less than two years to live. She just resumed oral chemo to extend her life for a little longer; otherwise, she would be gone in less than three months.
Overall, Amanda wanted to share her story to help others understand the realities of living with such an illness at a young age.
Despite the pain, uncertainty, and exhaustion, she continues to fight and remain hopeful. She is determined to make every day of the rest of her life count.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
