Patient: ‘Coming back to Nebraska saved my life’

In 2013, Krystin Mavity and her husband left Nebraska’s cold climate for the warm beaches of California.

The 27-year-old accepted a job as a librarian at a high-level maximum-security prison. While she enjoyed her work, Mavity started having health issues that wouldn’t go away.

“I had a cough, body pain, was falling asleep at work and also had trouble breathing,” Mavity said. “I was itchy all over my arms, so I went to see a doctor in California.”

The doctor told Mavity she had allergies or asthma, sending her on her way with a sample inhaler.

To hear Krystin Mavity tell her story, click here.

“I saw him a couple more times, and every time he assured me, ‘Everyone in California has allergies. It’s the pollution. Don’t worry about it.'”

Mavity knew she wasn’t going to get the help she needed in California, so she quit her job and moved back to Nebraska.

“When I first came back, I went to an urgent-care doctor who thought I had a heart murmur,” she said. “I then went to my primary care doctor in west Omaha who sent me to another hospital for a chest scan. They found a tumor the size of a melon. It took up most of the right side of my chest.”

After seeing the tumor on the X-ray, Mavity’s husband told her, “The Nebraska Medical Center is the best in cancer care. You’re going there.”

Doctors at the med center diagnosed her with Bulky Stage II Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She started treatment right away, including chemotherapy.

“Chemo is one of the most humiliating things you’ll ever go through, but I started feeling better after the first treatment,” Mavity said. “The nurses were amazing. My second cancer treatment was on my birthday, and they brought me a cake from the cafeteria.”

Mavity also appreciated the positive attitude of her oncologist, Philip Bierman, M.D. “On the first day of treatment, Dr. Bierman told me, ‘We are going to kick cancer’s butt! It’s been as wonderful an experience as cancer can be.”

On April 29, Dr. Bierman delivered the news Mavity had been waiting for — she was cancer free. She has since graduated with a master’s degree in library and information science from San Jose State University and accepted a job with the City of Omaha.

“The thing I’ve learned from this entire experience is to take charge of yourself,” she said. “Coming back to Nebraska saved my life.”