Kelly's Story

Breast Cancer

Kelly’s journey is a story of persistence. As a breast cancer survivor, her initial diagnosis started like many others – a burst of pain and a lump in her left breast. She wasted no time seeking out every possible treatment for her diagnosis, including a lumpectomy, drug therapy, and reconstruction.

After battling through her rigorous treatments though, many of which caused additional side effects, she received the devastating news that the cancer had resurfaced during a follow up exam. To her, that meant dealing with more extreme allergic reactions to virtually every medicine that had been prescribed as well as muscle tightness and cognitive issues causing severe migraines. This happened again two years later.

The cancer persisted, but Kelly’s persistence was greater.

As a mother and president and CEO of a Minnesota-based consulting group, she knew she couldn’t let this disease control her life. She had to get back to both jobs quickly, for the sake of her son and her company.

Due to the many complications Kelly faced during cancer treatment, many doctors told her “no”, they couldn’t do anything to resolve them. Instead of accepting defeat, she sought out a more holistic approach. That’s when she discovered the ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation program.

The ReVital Difference

The ‘holistic’ approach, also known as prohabilitation [link to Prohab blog] by ReVital Cancer Rehab, is really what attracted to Kelly to the program and to Dr. Michael Stubblefield.

Kelly’s routine after starting with ReVital included Botox treatments and physical therapy to control the migraines and loosen muscles tightened by radiation and scar tissue. She recounted Dr. Stubblefield’s explanation, “Those knots in the upper body send signals to your head that cause migraines.” Her treatment also includes cognitive testing and exercises which she said are helping “train my brain back.”

The ReVital multifaceted approach worked for Kelly. She credits the program with knitting all the elements together to put her on a better road to recovery.

“Dr. Stubblefield is the only doctor who figured out a way to help me,” Kelly said. “I am back to living my life the way I want to live it. Yes, I still get an occasional headache, but now I can go for months without pain instead of just a day or hour and there is a plan to manage [the headaches] when they occur.”

"I am back to living my life the way I want to live it."