Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year! It is a time full of joy, love, and magic. Families making memories, children on their best behavior and the spirit of Christmas is ever-so-present everywhere you go. We all have that one special gift that we desire to see under the tree Christmas Day. For most of us that gift is something tangible, but for one local family the gift that they desired can only be described as one thing… a true Christmas miracle!
For Corissa Conley and her family, Christmas has come early with the greatest gift they could ever receive. Corissa Conley, a former Fairview Eagle was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year. “On April 27, 2022, I was told to be prepared for the worst news. I was told that I had a soft ball sized tumor in my chest which was causing a heart murmur. The tumor was so big that the doctors were shocked that I could even swallow,” shared Conley. The news of this diagnosis was devesting, but Conley being the warrior that she is has fought it with dignity, strength, and grace.
“For 189 days, I fought with everything I had to survive. Over the course of those 189 days, I endured three biopsies’, which included two needle biopsy’s and one surgical biopsy. I attended 30 hospital visits, three admissions, two sessions of intensive chemotherapy, scan after scan and 21 proton radiation treatments. I even lost all my hair,” explained Conley. To say that this journey has been the hardest one of young Conley’s life would be an understatement. Conley went on to add, “For 189 days, I used all of my strength to kill the cancer inside my body!” and that’s exactly what she did.
On Nov. 2, 2022, Conley and her family received the news that they had all been waiting on. “I am officially CANCER FREE!” declared Conley. “When I was first told that my chemo would last for around six months, I had hoped and prayed that I would be cancer free come Christmastime. I am so blessed to be able to say that I can. Christmas is my all-time favorite time of the year and I think this year gives me a new perspective to not be thankful for the materialistic things but to be extra thankful for the people around you. You know what could happen at any given time. I am just over the moon about getting to spend the Christmas at home with zero doctors’ visits!” Conley proclaimed.
Conley’s father, Gary Conley shared with the Beacon, “knowing that we can spend the holidays together without having to travel for chemo and radiation is more than a blessing. This year will be extra special since Corissa is cancer free and moving forward with her life. That’s all the celebration we need for the holidays.” Conley added, “I cannot possibly say thank you enough to all the people who have been there for me. I cannot say thank you enough to all the people who have helped me in any way or made any type of donation. I cannot say thank you enough to the people who have not only prayed for me, but who simply just believed in me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone by my side. I am blessed to have had the journey that I have had. Thank you all for everything!”