Antrenice James, Rare Ovarian Tumor
Imagine being 14 years old and being told you have cancer. It came as a shock to Antrenice James, who started getting ill just after Easter of 1995. "I started having symptoms that whole week," she says. "My stomach got larger because the tumor had ruptured." Antrenice's grandmother rushed her to the emergency room, where they discovered she had a granulosa cell tumor of the ovary, which is extremely rare in teenagers.
Antrenice came to M. D. Anderson for three months of treatment that included surgery and chemotherapy, which caused her long, beautiful hair to fall out — not fun for a 7th grader just starting to notice boys. "Some kids made fun of me because they didn't understand, but I didn't let that bother me at all." Antrenice's grandmother, Rosemary, never left her side during treatment. She got involved in the Children's Art Project and met other kids with cancer. "It made me feel better knowing someone who could relate to what I was going through," she says.
Because Antrenice also had a benign adrenal tumor at age 2 and cancer runs in her family, she sees a doctor regularly, and is undergoing genetic counseling. "Cancer has taught me to take better care of myself and pay attention to my health."
Today, Antrenice is a busy young lady. She works seven days a week, as a bank teller on weekdays and in the business office at AstroWorld on the weekends, all the while going to school at the University of Houston Downtown. She appreciates life more and tries to live it to the fullest. “I’m thankful for what I have. Don’t worry, be happy — that’s what I think.”
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