Nikki
See full story
Nikki became interested in clinical trials after learning her Stage 2 breast cancer had metastasized to her bones. Read more about Nikki’s experiences with breast cancer here. When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, she immediately asked “what kind of clinical trials? What can we do?” Nikki read all about trials and was interested but “never actually found one that would work.” She fit a handful of “easy” eligibility criteria, like gender, age, and being a nonsmoker. However, she found there were a lot of ways “to be eliminated.” Between being “not sick enough,” “not close enough to death,” or her cancer “not shutting down enough organs” she didn’t “fit in.” Though Nikki thought “it was crazy” she was so easily disqualified, she trusted it was “for a reason” and just “wasn’t meant to be.”
Nikki would have to “think pretty hard” about participating in a clinical trial in the future if one came along that fit. Getting treatment for her metastatic disease “feels a little different” because she has “limited options.” Nikki feels she needs to be “calculated” with her decisions at this point, because she only has “two options left right now” and if she “goes off of one, you don’t go back to it.” Nikki wants to do everything she can, but things are “working for now” so she plans to “ride the wave at this point.”
Nikki describes trying to find a clinical trial for which she was eligible.
Nikki describes trying to find a clinical trial for which she was eligible.
There's a lot of disqualifying — ways to be eliminated. Which was like, “Oh.” It's either you're not sick enough, you're not advanced enough, you're not close enough to death. And I'm like, “What?” This is—it was crazy. I couldn't find one that I could fit in. I mean, obviously, there's gender, age, you know, non-smoker, all those things. I'm like, “OK. Well, these are the easy ones.” But when it came down to it, it’s not advanced enough. Or it's not shutting down enough organs. Or it's not—and I'm like—never actually found one that would work. But again, I trust that's for a reason. So, it's OK. That wasn't meant to be.
Nikki says her openness to clinical trials depends on her current treatment options.
Nikki says her openness to clinical trials depends on her current treatment options.
Mhm. OK. So, would you be open to a clinical trial if one came along that fit—you fit the bill for?
It would depend. You know. I guess getting treatment now feels a little different than the first time when it was—again I think I'm still, let's do everything we can. But knowing when you can disrupt this and knowing I have a set amount. I only have two options left right now. Like if we go off of one, you don't go back to it. So, it feels a little bit different. Like I think I need to be a little bit more calculated with if I make a switch. But things are going, and they're steady right now. I don't know. I think that I would probably stay right now where I am. Like things are steady, and it's—it’s working. We know it's only for a set amount of time, apparently. But I think I might ride that wave at this point, you know? And what's working, was going to work. So, not to say I wouldn't, but I guess when you have limited options, you're like, “We'll think pretty hard about this.”