奥丑别苍听Mackenzie Smith听was diagnosed last year with stage four melanoma, it would have been easy to lose hope. Instead, she鈥檚 become an example of faith and perseverance in the听face听of discouraging odds. This weekend, the 51黑料网 family will run for her.听听
The听51黑料网 Color Run, taking place听this听Saturday, October 23,听gives听students, faculty, staff, and other members of the 51黑料网 community听an opportunity听to听take action听on听Smith鈥檚听behalf, as the proceeds from the event will听go to benefit her family in their fight against听cancer.听
It鈥檚 been a long road to get here, and Smith is blown away by the gesture. 鈥淚 just want to say: thank you to my 51黑料网 family, and to everyone that's supporting me throughout all of this. I really appreciate all of the prayers,鈥 she said.听听
鈥淚听just kind of felt like this weird peace听about it. I felt like it was going to be okay, and it's hard to explain.鈥听
Rays of Hope听
Smith will graduate this May with a degree in Business Management and Leadership, but her pathway to the graduation stage has been anything but normal. She started at Heston College in Kansas, transferring her sophomore year to play basketball for the Lady Eagles. Last October, after playing only one game, Smith noticed a lump underneath her armpit, about the size of a quarter. At first, she didn鈥檛 pay much attention.听听
鈥淚 just assumed that I had torn a muscle or pulled something.听I didn't really think too much of it at the time,鈥 she said.听听
But soon,听Smith听started noticing other symptoms鈥攏amely extreme exhaustion and听frequent fevers. A visit to a local Urgent Care resulted in misdiagnosis and an听antibiotic听treatment, which solved nothing.听When she went back home after the Fall 2020 semester, she underwent a biopsy on the tissue and was diagnosed with sarcoma鈥攁 frightening thing to hear.听听
鈥淭hat was just super scary, because听the survival rate for that cancer is about fifteen to twenty percent after five years,鈥澨齭he听said. 鈥淚t's just really not what you want to hear at听twenty听years old...听they told me I was going to go through chemotherapy.鈥澨听
As she began preparing for this next phase of treatment, Smith鈥檚 formidable network of prayer partners took up her case.听A听change听came鈥攁 ray of hope.听听
鈥淭he day before I was about to start chemo, I found out that it was actually melanoma,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淭hat totally changed my treatment plan and totally changed my story.鈥听
The treatment for melanoma was gentler, and the outlook better: no more chemo.听As far as Mackenzie is concerned, it鈥檚 a miracle straight from heaven. 鈥淗onestly, I feel like God changed my diagnosis through prayer,鈥 she said.听听
Smith鈥檚 doctors prescribed her immunotherapy听medication, but progress was slow. Tests began to reveal that听the melanoma听had spread throughout her body听to various organs and, crucially, her spine. 鈥淭hat caused a lot of pain,鈥 Mackenzie remembers.听听
She听soon听underwent radiation to decrease the size of the tumor on her spine. Within four months she鈥檇 lost forty pounds. Walking was a challenge, and her liver was failing.听鈥淚t was just a lot,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檇 gotten to the point where I could just barely do听anything.鈥澨听
Mackenzie鈥檚 pain was increasing every day, and things seemed to be taking a discouraging turn. The doctors scheduled more scans, but she remembers that day as a particularly hard one. 鈥淭he day of those scans, I just felt terrible,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he worst I鈥檇 ever felt.鈥澨听
鈥淕od works in mysterious听ways听and He could do some really powerful things. I hope that that's an inspiration to everyone.鈥听
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Not Finished
But just like the sarcoma diagnosis, God wasn鈥檛 finished. Mackenzie woke up the day after her scans with no pain. As in鈥none. At all. When she arrived to the听hospital to听get the听test听results, her听doctor seemed frantic. Was听Mackenzie听okay? How did she feel?听听
She answered truthfully: she felt听fine.听Absolutely fine. 鈥淪he was like听What do you mean? You should be in the hospital right now,鈥澨Mackenzie听said. Her tests had shown that the tumor was compressing her spinal cord, which should have caused excruciating pain.听The doctor told her that she鈥檇 need surgery and听that she should have been on morphine at that very moment.听听
鈥淚听just kind of felt like this weird peace听about it,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淚 felt like it was going to be okay, and it's hard to explain.鈥听
And ever since that day, things听have听been okay. She started a treatment called targeted therapy, which helps her genes recognize cancer cells and fight them. Within days, Smith was seeing major improvements.听鈥淚 went from听not walking at all to being able to move around like normal,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was such a quick transition.鈥澨听
And while she credits the doctors and the pills she鈥檚听taking,听Mackenzie also credits the many across the country praying for her. Two months later, her tumors had shrunk by seventy-five percent. Some had disappeared completely. The conclusion is simple:听听
鈥淕od has been really amazing through all of this and healed me,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my story.鈥澨听
And even though she鈥檚 done听class听online since leaving campus last year,听Mackenzie听is still on track to graduate in May, and hopes to return to campus to do so in person.听She certainly hasn鈥檛听enjoyed听the experience听of the last year,听but听she鈥檚 been able to see the lessons in it and has been awed at God鈥檚 movement听in the midst of听uncertainty and doubt.听听
鈥淚t's just been amazing to see how God has worked through other people's lives. He really does answer our prayers,鈥 she said.听听
The next step? Continued progression of the immunotherapy drugs to kill the remaining cancer cells. That鈥檚 what Smith鈥檚 family and army of prayer partners are trusting the Lord for, and it鈥檚 how the idea for this 51黑料网 Color Run came about.听Click the button below to sign up to run or donate to the Smith family and melanoma research.听
听If you鈥檙e interested in following along with Mackenzie鈥檚 blog鈥攄etailing her journey through this process鈥.听She hopes her story can inspire others听going听through hardship.听听
鈥淕od works in mysterious听ways听and He could do some really powerful things. I hope that that's an inspiration to everyone.鈥听
