A mother-of-three has credited a spider bite with saving her life — after it led to a shock cancer diagnosis.
Sabrena Jones, from Oklahoma, dismissed the initial bite for days but when it kept ‘hurting and hurting’ she finally decided to go to the ER.
What followed was a scan and the revelation that she had stage three kidney cancer and a tumor the size of a basketball on her right side.
The former Navy reservist had surgery to remove the mass is now waiting to hear whether she will also need further treatment, like radiation therapy.
Sabrena Jones, from Oklahoma, was hospitalized for what she thought was a spider bite. But doctors then diagnosed her with stage three kidney cancer (her CT scan reveals the cancer as the large lump below the liver)
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Ms Jones told Newson6: ‘I was expecting to either find out if it was or was not a Brown recluse spider bite and go home.
‘I had no symptoms at all, none. I was quite shocked [with the diagnosis].
‘But I am a believer in God, so I wasn’t really worried about it because either way I would be in a good place. I’d either be healed or in heaven.’
She also expressed gratitude to the spider, saying that if it had not bitten her she may never have found out she had the cancer until it was too late.
When Ms Jones arrived in hospital initially she was given a blood test and a physical exam.
The blood test was unremarkable but doctors grew suspicious when they pressed on her stomach and she yelped out in pain.
This led to her receiving a CT scan, which revealed the cancer growing in her right kidney.
She currently can’t work as she is in the hospital recovering from the surgery, leading to concerns over how she will pay off the medical bills.
Her daughter Brittany Britt has now launched a GoFundMe for her mother, from Yorkville, which has so far raised $2,530 of the $10,000 target.
A brown recluse spider like the one Ms Jones thought she’s been bitten by
The mother-of-three thanked the spider for the bite, saying that without it the cancer likely would have gone unnoticed
Ms Jones family has now launched a GoFundMe to help her cover her medical bills
The mother, who also works as a nurse, has recently been struggling with anxiety and depression according to her daughter.
About 81,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer in the US every year, which is one of the most common cancers in the US.
Warning signs include blood in the urine, pain in the side or lower back, constant fatigue and a lump or swelling in the kidney area.
Some patients may also experience unexplained weight loss.
Early on, the cancer normally does not trigger any symptoms — with about half of cases detected during a routine ultrasound for a separate issue.
Treatment involves surgery to cut out the cancer and then also radiation therapy to kill off any remaining cells.
Her daughter wrote online: ‘My mom was diagnosed with kidney cancer and has had it removed but she has a long journey ahead of her.
‘And with that she’s unable to work right now so she can’t pay her bills.
‘So I’ve decided to create a GoFundMe account. If you can’t donate, I ask that you at least share.’
Eight in 10 people diagnosed with kidney cancer survive, but detecting it early is crucial.
Caught at stage 1, the five-year survival rate is over 90 percent. But if it’s allowed to spread and become stage 4, it drops to just 17 percent.
