MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Feeding time is a beloved ritual for Marion County resident and cow enthusiast Carrie Creighton, who is currently living with stage four, metastatic breast cancer.
What You Need To Know
- Marion County resident Carrie Creighton has been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer
- She says taking care of her cows has been very therapeutic for her
- Creighton is also taking a new medication, Verzenio, that she hopes will give her more time with her family and animals
She’s the proud owner of a micro sanctuary, which houses six cows that, thanks to her, can live a peaceful life without the threat of slaughter.
Creighton said Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary made her sanctuary possible, and she is grateful because caring for the cows has been therapeutic for her.
“This is my exercise — this is my fresh air," she said. "This is my sanctuary, you know? They’re my family."
With family, comes purpose, and for Creighton, a reason to keep fighting for her life.
Creighton is living with Stage 4, Metastatic breast cancer.
One of her concerns is making sure her cows stay cared for.
“My husband, my husband’s gonna look after them when I can’t anymore," she said. "I mean, they’re family. He’s not gonna get rid of them.”
And she hopes there will always be support for her cows to have the resources they need.
She says the cost affiliated with that can be tough to keep up with, coupled with the cost of her breast cancer treatment.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help offset some of those costs of care for her cows.
Creighton considers herself lucky, though.
She takes a medication called Verzenio, which she calls a secret weapon, to help extend her time with her human and animal family.
“It's a 200-and-some dollar a pill medication that I take that saves my life," she said.
The drug was just recently approved by the FDA for use on patients with earlier stage, high risk breast cancer.
Verzenio is a drug that Dr. Nikita Shah, medical oncology leader for the Breast Cancer Specialty Section of Orlando Health, said could prevent breast cancer patients from ever progressing to stage four.
Now, more breast cancer patients like Creighton can use this type of medication to their advantage.
“Without it, I’d be dead in months, because this stops the cancer from growing," Creighton said.
Creighton says she’s happy to know her super pill could give more patients a more positive outlook.
As for her, she says her love for her herd will keep her head held high.
GoFundMe.com, or any other third-party online fundraiser, is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.