Centerville, Utah – It’s a diagnosis rarely seen in someone so young. An 8-year-old girl in Salt Lake City is battling breast cancer.
Chrissy Turner’s parents, Troy and Annette found out the Centerville Elementary third grader has a condition usually associated with grown women. “It was about the middle of October she came to us with a lump on her chest and was scared.”
A series of tests produced a result almost beyond comprehension.
“It is a very rare form of breast cancer. It’s called secretory carcinoma. Only 1 in 1 million are diagnosed and she is the youngest that they’ve run across having this particular type of breast cancer,” said Annette. “I broke down. It’s a struggle every day worrying about my family, about my husband and now my baby girl.”
The Turners have been in similar situations before.
Annette, a personal trainer and holistic life coach, is a cervical cancer survivor and Troy, a desert storm veteran who works at Hill Air Force base, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when Chrissy was just a baby. “She was our therapy when he was going through chemotherapy. She was always making us laugh and she’s got the wit of someone far beyond her age.”
Chrissy and her parents know that she has a difficult battle ahead of her. It will start here at the Huntsman Cancer Institute where she will undergo a mastectomy.
“I was scared the first time that I knew about it but I knew, I knew that I could fight it off and I hope that I can fight it off,” said Chrissy.
Friends of the family have started a Go Fund Me campaign to raise money for the family’s medical bills while the turners vow to stay strong for Chrissy.
“We’re just going to keep fighting and doing everything we can to smile every day and laugh every day and carry our head high and do our best to overcome this.”
