Kimberly Thorp always believed she could fight cancer – even when she was diagnosed with the deadliest form of cancer for American women, and even when some doctors treated her case as hopeless.
Now, after more than a year of traveling across state lines for treatment from UCI Health physicians, she believes the worst is behind her, and she is dedicated to supporting UCI research that may help others facing similar diagnoses in the future.
“UCI has given so much to us that we want to pay it forward and give others hope,” says Kimberly’s husband, Dan. “UCI is committed to beating cancer, not just treating it. They are in it to win it.”
A Surprise Diagnosis
As a new mom, Kimberly was the picture of health in 2020: she worked out regularly, never smoked, was careful about what she ate. The family split their time between Henderson, Nevada and Park City, Utah, enjoying an active lifestyle filled with hiking, camping and traveling.
It was a spontaneous trip to Costa Rica with Kimberly’s extended family that Dan believes saved Kimberly’s life. At the end of their vacation, several in their party came down with a respiratory virus. Kimberly was hit especially hard.
Back in Utah, Kimberly went to an emergency room where X-rays revealed fluid surrounding her lungs and heart, nearly drowning her. Intensive care nurses told her they were astonished that she was still alive – the liter of fluid they drained was enough to stop the heart in her petite body. But, it turned out, that was just the beginning.
Further imaging revealed a 6-centimeter mass at the bottom of her left lung: stage IV adenocarcinoma lung cancer. Kimberly was stunned.
“I didn’t even know how to process this,” she remembers. “There’s a lot of misconception and negativity associated with people who have lung cancer.”
Although lung cancer is not the most common form of cancer, it is the deadliest one for women in the U.S. And despite its association with tobacco use, 1 in 5 women diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked.
Exploring Treatment Options
Kimberly and Dan began researching the best cancer treatment centers in the Western U.S. and scheduling consultations. At the first cancer center they visited, the doctor gave her three years to live and offered just one standard treatment option.
“The whole meeting was really negative, downbeat,” remembers Dan. “It was like a foregone conclusion that she’s going to die. Everything they described left us dejected and doomed.”
The stigma made it hard for Kimberly to tell loved ones about her diagnosis, but one friend jumped into action. She asked if Kimberly could be in Orange County in three days – she had made an appointment for Kimberly at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 56 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.
By the time the Thorps arrived, Kimberly was so weak that she needed a wheelchair to get through the airport.
“The cancer was just spreading and having a heyday in my body,” Kimberly says.
Kimberly and Dan immediately felt at ease at UCI Health. A nurse coordinator met with them first to talk them through everything to expect during their visit. Then Dr. Misako Nagasaka came in and began by telling them something they had longed to hear: No one deserves cancer, and there’s nothing you could have done to avoid this.
Read the rest of Kimberly’s and other inspiring survivorship stories here…
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