NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Thirty years young. A blossoming career as a licensed trauma counselor. Having fun with friends and family.
The year 2022 was off to a good start for Lexie Scheucraft — until Mother's Day weekend, when she experienced abdomen pain and severe bloating.
"Prior to diagnosis I was running two miles a day, doing hot yoga, nothing abnormal," Lexie told me.
But there was something abnormal on her ultrasound. She first stopped at a local health clinic, where nurses told her to go to the Emergency Room. After a battery of tests, the doctor was concerned. He told Lexie dark areas seen on an ultrasound could be ovarian cancer.
Lexie admits she didn't believe that could be possible — but her OBGYN confirmed the news.
Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer.
"I just remember — all I said was 'I'm 30 years old, I'm 30 years old' and I was just sobbing," Lexie recalls. "This can't be happening to me, this isn't real."
Within 10 days she underwent surgery: a radical hysterectomy followed by six rounds of chemotherapy — and yet another surgery to check her lymph nodes. Fortunately, they were OK. Today, Lexie's undergoing maintenance treatments and feels great. But she can't help but wonder — how did this happen?
"I don't have any history of cancer in my family. I've never had any health issues. The only thing I can think of is the year prior to treatment, I'd had a really hard year with work and a breakup and just was very stressed."
Ovarian cancer is rare in younger women like Lexie — so finding other patients around her age for support was a challenge.
"I wanted to know I wasn't alone in this. In that, someone else besides me was experiencing this."
Her research led her to Chic Awearness — an annual event in Nashville that not only raises money for research, but gives patients a chance to celebrate together and have fun with fashion. Some of the looks were previewed recently on Talk of the Town.
"I know that there's music and modeling and fashion. Which, I mean, what girl doesn't like that?"
Lexie told me she's looking forward to walking the runway as a model herself.
"When you're handed something like this, at least I believe, you have to make meaning of it. You take something bad and try to figure out how to make it good."
Tickets for the Sept. 25 event at W Nashville are still available to purchase at chicawearness.org .
