CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – While Kenwood High School was on spring break this year, teacher and volleyball coach Lynda Courtney worked out, just like she always does. After one workout, she felt pain in her abdomen.
“The pain was too excruciating to deal with, so I had one of my friends watch my children as I made my way to the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital,” Courtney told Clarksville Now.
Doctors initially suspected Courtney had appendicitis, but they ran tests, and the tests found something much more serious. Courtney, at only 38 years old, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
“I credit Blanchfield for saving my life,” said Courtney. “During my time there, the doctors did an amazing job.”
The treatment
After five days at BACH, Courtney was referred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s oncology program. She went through aggressive chemotherapy that included 60 hours of treatment every other week. When it was over, all of her tumors had shrunk, and her the mass on her colon had disappeared.
Courtney began the next steps on her journey, which included maintenance chemotherapy and a liver ablation. Her liver ablation surgery was a success, even though they weren’t able to remove all of the tumors there.
But when she was back on maintenance chemo, her body stopped responding to the treatment.
“When I stopped responding to maintenance chemo, the most problematic mass, which is located right next to my hepatic vein, had begun to grow again,” she said.
Courtney and her doctors at Vanderbilt began to research what to do next, and a transplant appears to be the best option. Since Vanderbilt doesn’t have a protocol for colorectal cancer patients to receive organ transplants, Courtney was referred to the transplant hospital at the University of Cincinnati.
Transplant clinical trial
Due to her background, Courtney qualified for a clinical trial in Cincinnati to provide a liver transplant for someone with colon cancer.
Only six other people in the United States have participated in the trials so far, and Courtney will be the seventh.
Throughout her experience, she had used her family as motivation to move forward. “My goal in life is to watch my kids grow up,” Courtney said. “I want to watch them get married; I want to become a grandma, so I have a lot of years to go.”
Until the clinical trial begins in January, Courtney will go back on an aggressive chemotherapy. Once she goes through 12 rounds, she’ll have a colon resection and determine next steps with her liver transplant team.
The tentative date for Courtney to receive a new liver is June 15. Over 10 people have already signed up as possible donors. If you want to add your name to the list, go to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center donor website.
Coach’s message
Courtney’s case came earlier than most. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that adults begin getting screened for colon cancer – such as through a regular colonoscopy test – at age 45. Until a few years ago, the recommendation was to start at age 50.
“There is such a rise in colon cancer in young adults,” Courtney said. “It’s anyone between the ages of 25 and 40. And there is such a rise, and it’s crazy because when most people are finding the cancer, it’s already in Stage 4.”
Courtney, who has coached at Kenwood since 2013 and also teaches U.S. Government and AP Psychology, said it’s important for people to take their health seriously.
“I want people to know that sometimes life does stink,” she said. “You can get dealt a bad hand, but you can’t stop living. When you stop living, that’s when people give up. That’s something I can’t do. I have three people who need me the most: my husband and my two children.
“My message to the Clarksville community is do not hesitate. As a society, we are so scared to tell our doctors what we want. If you feel like you need something, do it.”
Chris Smith contributed to this report.