But nothing prepared her for the sucker punch of cancer at the age of 46. It was 2018. “I’d gone to the emergency room for a simple urinary tract infection,” Witt says, “and they found a tumor in my kidney — a fairly sizable solid mass.” Almost four years have passed since that day, and the now 50-year-old Carlsbad, California resident is in remission and on a mission urging others to tune in to their bodies. “I’m here because I listened to that inner voice,” says Witt.
The Power of Listening to Your Body
Thankfully, someone else was also paying attention — the emergency room doctor Witt credits for helping to save her life. She could have easily left after he gave her a prescription for antibiotics. “But I told him I felt unusual pressure and asked if it was normal,” Witt recalls. “He said it probably was, but he thought about it. Then he said he’d do a quick ultrasound, just in case.” When the doctor finished that test, Witt says, she saw him exchange looks with the technician. Then he ordered a computerized tomography (CT) scan. The scan detected a solid mass of almost 9 centimeters (about 3.5 inches) embedded in her left kidney. The doctor, guarded, admitted it wasn’t good news. “He didn’t use the word ‘cancer,’” she says, “but the subtext was clear.” Its size and composition suggested malignancy, but only a biopsy could confirm that.
No Time for Ill-Defined Symptoms
Witt had been experiencing vague symptoms for years. “I’d gone to many doctors complaining of nausea or fatigue,” she says. “I was always given run-of-the-mill tests that came out normal. So, I thought, ‘Okay, I must just be very sensitive.’” It was easy to dismiss her own concerns anyway. She was too busy, too involved with her family, and too invested in others to pay much attention to herself and her body. Raised by a single mother who later succumbed to nonhereditary ovarian cancer, she’d met and married Brendan Witt, a National Hockey League (NHL) star, roughly a year after they were seatmates on an airline flight headed to North Dakota from Chicago. Then Salima Fortin had been on assignment working for a photographer. She and Brendan quickly discovered that they were both native Canadians. The relationship developed from there. The couple added two daughters — Safiya, now 20, and Aliana, 23 — during the 15 years the former defenseman played for the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders. Throughout, Brendan’s 82-game seasons dominated virtually all his time between late September and early April. As the family moved for Brendan’s career, Witt kept things humming — including her passion for sport horses and success in the show jumping ring — despite her stubborn physical complaints. “The mysterious fatigue would ebb and flow,” she says. “When I rode horses competitively, I’d be totally exhausted and nauseated afterwards, and then I’d gradually feel okay again. I saw this as either a natural part of life for a busy, middle-aged mother of two, or a sign of growing older, or having a virus, or not sleeping well.” In the aftermath of the ER visit, however, Witt realized that her health would now have to take top billing.
Coping With a Cancer Diagnosis
Witt immediately located a highly regarded kidney specialist at the University of California San Diego Health to get a definitive answer to what type of cancer it was, how advanced it was, and what kind of treatment would be required. But when she called his office, she discovered that he had no availability for at least three months. “I kept trying the doctor to get it sooner,” she says. “I’d call first thing in the morning, begging for a cancellation. I know I was driving his people crazy and I apologized for that, but I had to get in.” Her pluck paid off. A slot opened within a week. Her biopsy was scheduled for a few days later. Just 11 days had passed from the emergency room visit. Because of the size and positioning of the growth, the doctor’s sole option was to remove the entire kidney to biopsy the tumor. The doctor explained that the tissue sample would pinpoint the stage and likely prognosis, but it would require a few more weeks of waiting. When the findings arrived, they revealed that Witt had stage 3 chromophobe renal cell carcinoma, a cancer subtype that occurs in the cells lining the small waste-carrying tubules of the kidney. This variant affects fewer than 1,000 people in the United States each year, ranking it among what the National Institutes of Health considers a rare disease. Witt also learned that the tissue surrounding the tumor was healthy and that it appeared the malignancy hadn’t spread.
The Prognosis
Scary as it sounded, this cancer was highly curable. “I was told that I was a fortunate one who didn’t need immunotherapy,” Witt says. “And a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center nomogram, which calculates the likely outcome of cancers, predicted a 94 percent rate of nonreoccurrence within five years. I couldn’t believe it.” No further treatment, beyond surgery, was needed, but Witt would need follow-up CT scans every three months during the first year; every six months during the second; and once a year thereafter until she reached the five-year mark. She’d also require blood tests every five to six months for five years. At that point, if all went well, she would be considered clear of the cancer. Witt’s life began anew. “I felt much stronger after I recovered from the surgery,” she says. “I was so lucky to be alive. I wanted to share what I had learned with everyone.” She began by reconnecting with the emergency room doctor who’d taken the time to truly listen to her concerns. “The hospital was nice enough to find him during one of his shifts, and I was able to thank him for saving my life,” Witt says. She also lent regular support to other cancer patients, creating a National Kidney Foundation “care to share” monthly Zoom conference call in which patients could discuss experiences, exchange information, and lift each other’s spirits when they sagged.
The Lasting Legacy
“There is a period of grief or transitional mourning after you’re diagnosed with cancer when you have to process what you’ve been through and not obsess,” Witt says. “So, I did a lot of soul searching, but without letting it consume me.” Her only regret is that she didn’t place more trust in herself earlier. Now she advises others to “listen carefully and persist.” “If you get a diagnosis and you continue to feel poorly, persevere,” she says. “Be assertive and know that your inner voice is right and that something really is wrong. Don’t give up.” Her focus now is on remaining present and positive — and following through on her pledge to recognize and express gratitude for the good that comes her way. “Always be thankful,” she says. “That’s the bottom line.”
