Sometimes the only explanation for how we survive certain tragedies is that God is watching over us. That was definitely the case for Missy Johnson, a CHI St. Vincent patient from East End. What started out as a crazy accident ended up being a blessing in disguise. It was due to that accident, and the subsequent medical attention that it was discovered that Missy had colon cancer.

Missy’s husband and son drive race cars. One night, like so many others, they were racing at I-30 Speedway in Benton and Missy was cheering them on from the pit. During the race a car lost control and was thrown airborne. Missy was directly in its path. When she went to take cover, she realized that she was cornered by a 4-wheeler, she was trapped. Suddenly, a nearby hero, grabbed her and threw her out of the path of the out-of-control car, which landed directly where she was standing. (Life-saving miracle #1.) When Missy landed however, her head hit the telephone pole barricade, knocking her out. She was taken to the hospital to get a CT scan to rule out any damage.

During that scan, it was discovered that she had some colon-related issue that needed to be addressed. She was told, “You either have Crohn’s or colon cancer. You need to have a colonoscopy.” Missy was confused, because she had been experiencing no symptoms. Heeding the advice, she had a colonoscopy and it was discovered that it was indeed colon cancer. Missy said, “I was shocked and relieved at the same time. Shocked that I had cancer, but relieved that we caught it early, when something could be done about it.” (Life-saving miracle #2)

She was referred to Dr. Patrick Szeto, CHI St. Vincent Colorectal Surgeon. He told her, “The good news is, we caught it early.” Missy praised Dr. Szeto, “He was great, so positive. He made me feel at ease.” She had surgery to remove the cancer. After surgery, Dr. Szeto told her that things went well and that he would follow-up with her pathology. When asked about her pathology and the results, Missy grinned and said, “I’m cancer free!” Incredibly, Dr. Szeto was able to remove all the cancer. Missy didn’t even have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. (Life-saving miracle #3.)

When asked about her message to people who assume all is good if they aren’t having symptoms, she said, “Look at me, I wasn’t having symptoms. If it wasn’t for this accident, I wouldn’t have found it until it would likely have been too late. So, if you are over 45, get your colonoscopy. Believe me, you’ll want to find it early when something can be done.”