Girl, 8, fighting rare form of breast cancer will undergo mastectomy
It's the news no parent ever wants to hear.
When 8-year-old Chrissy Turner went to her mum and dad with a lump in her chest they had no idea of what pain and suffering would be ahead for their little girl.
Chrissy, from Utah in the United States, has become one in 1 million people to be diagnosed with secretory breast carcinoma, a rare form of breast cancer.
This brave girl will now undergo a mastectomy in December to treat the disease.
Chrissy was diagnosed on November 9 after she approached her mother about a lump on her chest.
Chrissy’s mother, Anette Turner, told ABC News: "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,”
Dr Brian Bucher, told ABC News that the cancer is 'very treatable' and that by having the mastectomy it should prevent the cancer from returning.
“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.
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.
To help with Chrissy’s medical bills, friends of the family have created a GoFundMe 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.
