IOWA CITY, Iowa — For 28 years, whenever Alli Adams visited the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, she could count on Mary Schlapkohl to be there. Mary is a nurse practitioner who has helped Alli fight cancer eight times.
Alli was two years old when she was first diagnosed with cancer. It was a lump on her shoulder blade. The year before, her father had passed away from brain cancer.
She went eight years cancer free before being diagnosed again as a teenager. This time it was in her leg. After some testing, Alli found out her father passed a gene onto her that causes Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. That means the cancer risk can be passed from generation to generation.
Currently, Alli is going through chemo again for her eighth cancer diagnosis. She most recently had one of her lungs removed.
"I'm like, alright, you know, this is just what I do," Alli said. "I fight cancer."
Mary has been a big part of that fight.
"I'm actually her longest patient that is still being treated," Alli said. "I can't even describe. She's always there for me. She's always there for everything. Every time I get results, good or bad, she's there. Better when she's there on the bad days because she, I mean, we look to her. My doctors are the ones telling me things, we look at her and we ask what do you think we should do?"
Even when Alli was being treated for breast cancer in the adult section of the hospital, Mary would come visit. When Alli's daughter was delivered prematurely so Alli could have surgery to remove cancer on her jaw, Mary would visit Aria in the NICU. Aria will turn five next month. Alli still has the teddy bear and onesie that Mary gave her.
"She was like, I'm her adopted grandma," Alli said. "She's just been the most amazing person for the past 28 years to us. She's definitely got a special place in my heart."
"It's been a mixed emotional journey with her, very sad that she has to go through this so many times," Mary said. "Just the spirit that she has and the positive attitude that she has, and the resiliency. I told her, she's inspiring... It's like nobody I've ever taken care of before. She's an amazing young woman."
A year ago, Mary decided it was time for her to retire. She's spent the last year saying goodbye to patients she's treated.
"This last year has been this emotional goodbye, essentially, but for them, it's a good goodbye because they're off therapy and they're doing well," Mary said. "Alli's different because it's going to be hard to just not be as involved in her day-to-day treatment."
Thursday was their last day of treatment together.
"I'm not looking forward to coming in here for results and stuff now because she's not going to be here for us to lean on," Alli said. "It's going to be a very rough day, but I'm happy for her to be able to finally retire and just go do what she wants to do for once because she's been taking care of us for so long."
Mary said she's still planning to be there to support Alli and Alli wants her to come visit during future treatments.
She turns 30 soon, a milestone they never thought she'd reach. Alli hopes to have good news soon that the chemo is shrinking her tumors. That, she said, would be the best birthday gift and retirement gift to Mary.
Her daughter, Aria, was tested for the gene that causes Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, and thankfully, does not have it.
You can support Alli's fight against cancer at the Circle K in Aledo.