Woman Who Survived Stage 4 Cancer Climbed MT. Kilimanjaro to Raise Funds for Children in Africa | “She Is a Rockstar”

She battled an illness and then climbed a mountain. This story sounds like fiction but it's true. A southern Indiana woman who once dodged death climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for a cause in February. Tobi Sample was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2008 when she lived in San Antonio, as per WDRB. The then 35-year-old had a small bump on her chest, leading to a biopsy.  "At Stage 2, you cut it out and you're done," Sample said.

With her children 12 and 9 years old, Sample said life continued on after the initial treatment of cancer. But five years later, Amelanotic Nodular Melanoma resurfaced, and it was severe. "Another spot came up," Sample said. "I knew Stage 4 in 2013 was not the same as Stage 4 now because of treatment options. When I found out I had Stage 4 in 2013, I thought it would be a death sentence for me. I think a lot of people thought the same thing," she elaborated.

Her husband, Stephen, called her a dead woman walking because the diagnosis had a 97% death rate. Despite the tough odds, she didn't lose hope."It's amazing, she is a rock star, she always has been," Stephen said. "If anyone was going to pull through this it was going to be her."

The problem for Sample was treatment options weren't available at all. The family went on a week-long vacation in Florida thinking it could be the final time together, as per the Washington Post. "You have to tell the kids when they look at you and ask 'are you going to die' you can't say 'no' because you aren't really sure," Sample said. "The diagnosis itself was a lot different because of the severity and the spreading that had happened."

Stephen, who is a doctor, found a clinical trial at the University of North Carolina. After dealing with "excruciating" pain because cancer had metastasized into her spine, ribs, lung, and clavicle, the clinical trial changed her chances. "They allowed me in, and they didn't have to because my condition wasn't up to par with what they would normally allow in a trial," Sample said.

Sample and her family drove to North Carolina every often, until the drug, Keytruda, was approved. She then could receive the treatment at the University of Louisville Brown Cancer Center.

Cleared by doctors, Sample began running half-marathons and started sponsoring a girl, Marie Roise, with Africa New Life. She went on a mission trip to Rwanda, which introduced her to the possibility of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, along with meeting Roise, who is now 16 years old, and her family. This is her 10th year in remission. 

"I have a body that can move, and I didn't expect that I was going to be able to, so the chance that I can run half-marathons and hike a mountain that I shouldn't be able to hike, proves something to me of what I'm capable of, post-cancer."

The 42-mile climb that demanded seven hours a day of hiking was challenging. It took six-and-a-half days to climb the mountain, and another day and a half to go down. The group's climb raised thousands of dollars that will provide more than 220,000 meals to children. With a goal of raising $15,000, Sample individually raised $13,845. 

Tobi Sample showed courage and kindness when she faced a devastating illness and we can all learn from her. 

References:

https://www.wdrb.com/news/jeffersonville-woman-with-stage-4-cancer-climbs-mt-kilimanjaro-to-raise-funds-for-africa-new/article

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/02/24/woman-cancer-kilimanjaro-africa/

Cover Image Source: Youtube | WDRB News