Some of life’s big moments stick out in our minds. For Melinda Fiebig, Valentine’s Day is one of those days. On Feb. 14, 2017, Melinda underwent a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan that revealed she had stage III ovarian cancer.
“It all happened very quickly, and I didn’t have time to think about everything,” said Melinda. “But from the beginning, I made a decision that I wasn’t going to let this cancer beat me. I told myself I would keep going like I’ve always done.”
Smiling and maintaining a positive outlook during uncertainty and difficulty is not easy. But Melinda made it seem so. “Melinda’s personality is magnetic,” said Helen Eshed, M.D., gynecologic oncologist at Texas Oncology–Austin Central. “Despite her challenges, she embraces life with all of her heart.”
For years, ovarian cancer has been dubbed the “silent killer” because symptoms often are not apparent early on. But for Melinda and her care team, hope is on the horizon. “We continue to enroll patients in clinical trials and find more effective therapies for this type of cancer, leading to FDA approvals for novel treatments,” said Dr. Eshed.
After Melinda completed her last round of chemotherapy, she volunteered at the same Texas Oncology location where she received treatment for the nine months that followed. Nowadays, Melinda lives out the meaning of Valentine’s Day every day, as she converts the power of her unforgettable diagnosis day into sharing love and compassion for others.
View Melinda’s story from her perspective below.