“A Slip and Slide Changed Everything”

Shayna’s Fight for Answers—and for Life

At 26, Shayna Lowe was told she was “too young” for anything serious. She kept pushing for answers.

For weeks, Shayna’s symptoms were brushed off as anxiety. She went to the ER twice only to be sent home. Then, a quick trip down a slip-n-slide changed everything. Pain hit hard and fast, growing worse by the minute. A visit to the doctor the next day resulted in a spotted mass—but she was reassured she was “too young” for it to be anything concerning.

By evening, the pain was unbearable. Back in the ER, Shayna learned the truth: she had ruptured a mass on her kidney and was internally bleeding. She was transferred to Ruby Memorial Hospital. Cancer was mentioned—and a follow-up was scheduled for three months later.

The day after that scan, Shayna got a call she was not ready for. “We’re certain you have kidney cancer.” She was distraught. “I began planning my funeral immediately,” she says. But even in shock, a plan formed.

On December 19, Shayna had her kidney removed. Initial pathology: clear cell renal cell carcinoma, stage 2, grade 4. Her team recommended immunotherapy (Keytruda) as a preventative step. By early March, deeper testing changed everything again: the tumor was TFE3-positive, and a second opinion in Pennsylvania revised her diagnosis to Translocation RCC (tRCC) with a MED15 fusion—a rare subtype. The rarity brought fresh uncertainty, including whether her ongoing immunotherapy would help.

Today, Shayna is cancer-free (NED). She’s on active surveillance and continues infusions every three weeks, doing everything in her power—faith, healthy choices, and a fierce commitment to living fully. “One of my favorite things to do is hike,” she says. “I’m focused on being present for the life I have right now.”  Most recently, she completed a stair climb in Cleveland, Ohio, proving “You are more than your diagnosis.”

Shayna’s support network includes a nurse at Ruby Memorial—herself a kidney cancer survivor whose words continue to resonate. Family, friends, and the kidney cancer community, “Too many to even mention,” she says. They all made a difference.

Her message to anyone newly diagnosed is simple and strong: You are more than your diagnosis. Advocate for yourself. Keep asking questions. Push for answers. And keep living.