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2022 GOOD HEALTH
FEATURE STORY
Cancer journey inspires London woman to help others
Through family friends at Brock Farm Doodles , the Burtons were able to get an AKC-registered mini goldendoodle puppy that Megan dubbed Leonidas — Leo for short .
BY JANIE SLAVEN Editor
Megan Burton is very much like any 32-yearold woman wearing multiple hats — wife , mother , daughter , friend , professional . But these days , she ’ s had a new role thrust upon her , that of a warrior in the fight of — and for — her life . Earlier this summer , Megan was living a normal life with her husband William , their 12-year-old daughter Gabby , and rescue dog Lollipop when she began to experience periodic bouts of lightheadedness with an elevated heart rate . They began to pick up in frequency to the point of becoming truly noticeable at the beginning of July .
DIAGNOSIS
“ It wasn ’ t every day that it happened ,” Megan explained . “ It would often be when I was up moving around for long periods of time . We ’ re pretty big outdoors people … If we were out Jeepriding and I got hot , or if we were working outside , it would bring on one of those spells . I ’ d come in to cool off and get me something to drink , and it would go
away .” Megan had talked to her primary care provider about it but due to having her gallbladder removed back in March and the resulting dietary changes , both initially thought that the problem might be related to blood sugar levels . “ My doctor was in the process of having me do a two-week food diary and I was keeping a check on my sugar ,” Megan said , adding that those levels were within normal range . Then on the morning of July 15 , Megan woke up fatigued . “ I felt like I had just been hit with a Mack truck ,” she recalled , adding that she didn ’ t have any other symptoms like a fever . “ I didn ’ t feel sick at all ; I was just extremely fatigued .” Working from home as a training manager for GDIT ( General Dynamics Information Technology ) in Barbourville , Megan was able to do her job that day . But when William got home from work as a copier technician with PDS ( Precision Duplicating Solutions ), the couple went outside to do some yard work and Megan barely made it 15 minutes before she had to return inside . She didn ’ t feel any better the following day but the couple really knew something was wrong by July 17 , when Will noticed that Megan had become jaundiced literally overnight . He gave her the choice of seeing her family doctor or going to the emergency room .