DUBLIN, Ga. — The Desmoid Tumor is so rare, that according to the National Cancer Institute, for every one million people worldwide, two to four are diagnosed with a desmoid tumor per year.
Sherika Carr is one of those people who lived to tell the story through a new book she published called "He Saw F.I.T: When Your Faith Has Been Tested You Must Have Faith In Thee."
"It was frustrating because I knew there was something wrong going on with my body, and I felt like they were not listening," Carr said.
Her doctor diagnosed her with gastroesophageal reflux disease, but Carr knew there was something bigger going on. She would get contractions in her abdomen that were so painful, nothing would make them go away.
It took months before another doctor in Atlanta diagnosed her with a Desmoid Tumor.
"When I was finally properly diagnosed, I was hurt. I was scared. And in that very moment it just felt like my life had ended," Carr said.
She felt overwhelmed, and wasn't sure what the future would look like battling this tumor.
"I mean, the pain, the agony, the not knowing was taking a toll on me. And more so the pain, I mean it was unbearable," Carr said.
Depression and anxiety crept in, and she felt like there was no way she could keep going.
"I just wanted out and I felt like you know, death was my outlet. So I prayed for death, and when it didn't happen, yes, I tried to take it into my own hands," Carr said.
Her family became her strength, as they cheered her on when she couldn't keep going alone.
"My husband, he kept talking to me, he kept giving me scriptures. He's always remained positive and it helped me change my mind that okay, God has me here for a reason. I don't know what that reason is just yet, but he has me here for a reason," Carr said.
And more good news came when she found out she would be a first time grandmother.
After a long difficult road, Carr feels recovered and is putting her story out there with a new book.
"It was important to me because while I was going through it, it felt like I was alone. No one understood what I was going through, and I didn't have anybody to talk to. And I felt like if I could just get the message to someone else- someone else may be going through the same thing or similar to what I was going through. And to let them know you're not alone. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to cry, it's okay to break down. But then put yourself back together, and fight," Carr said.
She held a book singing Saturday at The Olive Branch, where family, friends, and community members came by to support her.
She currently works with two foundations that are working to spread awareness and find a cure. She hopes one day, nobody else will go through her life the past few years.
Her book, "He Saw F.I.T: When Your Faith Has Been Tested You Must Have Faith In Thee" is available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Books-A-Million.