Melisa Albright was in the happiest time of her life. She was pregnant and getting ready to become a new mom. But she knew that something wasn't right and her doctors couldn't figure it out.
Melisa told us, "The uncertain was scary, because the nurses didn't know either. There was a time at 23 weeks when I was in full term labor and they were worried about me and him both."
After 38 hours in labor, her son Tanner was born. He and Melisa both had an infection but it soon cleared up.
When they went in for his eight-week checkup, things changed in a matter of moments.
Melisa said, "I had a knot come up here on my left side and I realized what is that? ETMC in Gilmer they said, it's cancer."
Melisa was diagnosed with stage four thyroid cancer.
There were doctors appointments three times a week, experimental treatment and Melissa couldn't eat normally for an entire year.
At her lowest, she weighed just 53 pounds. The whole time with Tanner by her side.
Before her final surgery, Melisa said, "Gave him a kiss and I put a picture of my son on top of my chest and I said, 'okay, I love you.'"
This, is when Melisa says God took control of her life.
"Never had a church background, but I always believed in Him. My Momma said, 'if you become cancer-free, I'm going to bring you to this cowboy church.'"
Then I was cancer-free and still said, 'no I'm not doing it,' but I did and haven't stopped since. I love it."
And she's raising her son Tanner in that very same church, teaching him what took her an entire lifetime to learn.
"I re-dedicated my life and I totally understood it. I graduated college, I learned that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. And through the power of prayer, that's what I did." If I could do anything with my story and my testimony it's to remember through it all, the good Lord's got you no matter what," Melisa said.
Tanner is now five years old, and loves rodeo and football.
Copyright 2013 KLTV. all rights reserved.
