One day, the lives of Chrissy Turner and her family completely changed. Chrissy, a little 8-year-old girl from Centerville, Utah, found a lump on her chest and it didn’t take long before doctors made a horrifying discovery. Chrissy had breast cancer. Two years later, the fifth-grader is now a huge inspiration to others.
Chrissy was diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of breast cancer, secretory breast carcinoma. In fact, the condition is so rare that it literally only affects one in a million.
The road to recovery was incredibly tough for both Chrissy and her family, but the brave little girl never stopped fighting and now inspires others to do the same and live their lives to the fullest. According to her mom Annette Turner, who survived cervical cancer, Chrissy is now a “quiet inspiration” for countless others.
“We’d like people to know that she’s happy and still enjoys bringing beauty to the simple things in life,” Annette said to People.com. “Chrissy carries a glowing spirit with her wherever she goes and she’s teaching others — especially women diagnosed with breast cancer — to embrace life and focus on the good. If anything, that’s been her most powerful message: ‘You can defeat this and you can keep living.’”
The diagnose was made when Chrissy was only eight years old, and it her father recalls that it was absolutely devastating.
“How do you tell your kid that she has cancer?”
Chrissy underwent a mastectomy as her entire right breast was removed. The little girl now has to have a check-up every three months and plans to have reconstructive surgery at 15 or 16 years old.
“About a month ago, we had our first meeting with a plastic surgeon, just so she’ll know what her options are,” her mom said. “She’s barely starting to develop on her left side, so we have some time. They just want her to be prepared for it.”
Two years after the diagnosis, the fifth-grader wants to raise awareness and gather funds for breast cancer research. During the month of October, which is also breast cancer awareness month, Chrissy spoke at a few events organized by local communities about her condition.
“She’s shy, but we tell her that when you’re called to a greater purpose in life, you can’t hide from it,” Annette mentions. “Chrissy now realizes that this is an opportunity to take something horrible that happened to her and turn it around.”
“She knows that when something like this happens to you, you can either take it lying down or you can grow from it, spiritually and emotionally. She’s chosen to grow from it. This entire experience has brought our family closer together.”
The main message that Chrissy wants to spread is that life is absolutely worth living, no matter what.
“This experience has taught me to keep moving forward and never give up. Through my cancer, I learned how important family really is and that we should enjoy every second of this life. I love spending time with my family and friends and just having fun.”
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