There are moments that change our lives that, at first, seem as normal as brushing our teeth or driving a car.
That was the case for Weatherford’s Nikki Smith.
Having intermittent side pain for almost a year, the long-time Weatherford Police Department dispatcher had chalked it up as nothing serious and maybe diabetic medication issues and went about her days.
It wasn’t until mid-March when her husband, David, insisted she go to the emergency room when she couldn’t catch her breath. Being a lifetime caregiver, Nikki wasn’t used to being the one who needed help but finally gave in and let David take her to the hospital.
That was the moment everything changed.
“One CT later it was discovered there was a mass on my pancreas and some spots on my liver,” Nikki recalled. “Less than a week later was my first visit to the oncologist, who ordered a biopsy of my liver since it was ‘easier to get to.’”
It was after that when what was supposed to be a “simple procedure” turned into something not-so-simple.
“I was told she was in a lot of pain but that was it,” David said about the time after the procedure, adding that Nikki was moved out of recovery a few hours later but nothing more was said.
It wasn’t until later the next day that David’s suspicion of something else being wrong came true. It was revealed a bile duct was “hit” during the biopsy and fluids were leaking into her abdomen causing a dire situation. She was then admitted to ICU.
“I vaguely remember people coming to see me, but I was not really conscious much during that time,” Nikki said.
Nikki was not improving even after that so, once again, David insisted something more was going on. Finally, doctors diagnosed Nikki with ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition for diabetics where the body lacks sufficient insulin, which then leads to harmful chemicals being released into the body.
“If it wasn’t for my husband, I wouldn’t be here today,” Nikki said.
The culprit turned out to be Nikki’s not eating for almost five days. Being that she had been unconscious, the nourishment she needed as a diabetic was “not happening” and her body was responding negatively.
Once she recovered, Nikki was moved out of ICU and into a regular room where she endured more tests and another biopsy, this time of her pancreas. Shortly after, she was sent home.
When all data was evaluated by doctors, Nikki said she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had metastasized into her liver. The tumor was in the mid-4s (centimeters).
“It was a shock at first but then I said to David, ‘OK, let’s do this,’” she said.
She began chemo treatments and explored homeopathic methods too and her most recent scan showed the tumor has shrunk by half. Still, she plans to visit MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston soon to get more opinions and information. She’s even contemplated going to Mexico for treatment but, for now, she is following doctor’s orders and eating and living right and managing every day.
During those days of intermittent consciousness, Nikki said she talked to God “a lot.” She remembers one dark moment when she was in pain and told Him she was “ready to go.”
“He told me no, I wasn’t,” she said.
And with that, Nikki said it all became clear what she had to do.
“I needed to share this journey I am on,” she said. “But not because it’s about me, it is about Him.”
That is how “Nikki’s Journey of Faith,” a Facebook blog, started.
“I had to share every part of what I was going through; the good, the bad and the ugly,” she said.
The page boasts more than 300 followers, and Nikki doesn’t shy away from sharing how she feels the hand of God on her back.
“This disease does not define me; He does,” she said. “And I can’t help other people if I don’t live through it. That is my testimony.”
Van Houser, retired Northside Baptist Church pastor, is one of Nikki’s trusted faith advisors and a family friend. She said they both have talked a lot about God’s purpose for her and she feels a calmness and resolve that she has never felt before.
“[Cancer] will humble you and make you take the time to think about what’s important in life,” Nikki said, as she reflected on a day when she went to have a scan done in Irving and had a minor car accident. “I was unusually calm and there was this peace that everything would be OK.”
Both she and David admit that Nikki has a hard time “slowing down” but even she had to admit that maybe the diagnosis was part of His plan for her.
“It was God’s way of getting my attention,” she said. “But I don’t see this as a death sentence; I see it as a way to live more intentionally and enjoy every day He gives me.”
Nikki said one of the things she strives to not ask or be defined by is the question most people usually want to know when diagnosed — what is the prognosis on how much time is I have left?
“We live every day one day at a time and don’t think about that,” she said. “Faith and attitude have a lot to do with how you heal.”
David agrees.
“It’s all God’s plan,” he said. “You never really know when or how long you can [live it].”
Nikki, now an agency coordinator between the WPD and the Texas Department of Public Safety, has been with WPD for 29 years and in law enforcement for more than 35 years. Helping others has always been her “passion” and while others may see what she does as above and beyond, Nikki doesn’t feel that way.
“I have always treated people the way God would want me to,” she said. “When I announced my diagnosis, people reached out to me that I had no idea my interaction with them meant so much. It was humbling.”
That reason, among others, was why Nikki insisted she keep working and have everything stay as normal as possible. WPD Chief Jason Hayes said Nikki was offered all the time she needed to do what she had to do but she wanted to continue working.
“She’s committed her entire life to serve others and she wants to be there for everyone regardless of how she is feeling but it’s always been her call,” he said. “Whatever we can do, whatever she needs, we will be there for her.”
Nikki said she appreciates all that Hayes and her colleagues have done and continue to do for her, but she admits she doesn’t like to be “babied.”
“Chief Hayes told me, ‘I know you can do this but we’re going to help you, like it or not,’” she said, adding she does have the opportunity to work from home when she needs to but consistency and routine are important for her recovery. “It’s always a boost when you walk in the door [at work] and people light up seeing you.”
To help offset costs associated with treatment and aftercare, a fundraiser was held Sept. 18 in honor of Nikki.
The response was “overwhelming.”
“We could never have anticipated [it],” said Leslie Chalmers, fundraising consultant for the Weatherford Police and Fire Foundation which hosted the event. “Watching this community rally around Nikki has been incredibly moving.”
Nikki was at a loss for words when she saw how quickly tickets sold out after it was announced.
“It’s indescribable,” she said. “The amount of people who reached out to me and came out of the woodwork, so to speak, was overwhelming.”
The event, held at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse, raised $76,000.
“When we started planning Standing with Nikki, our goal was simply to help someone who has spent her career helping others,” Chalmers said. “Every sponsorship, auction donation, ticket purchase and volunteer represents someone saying, ‘You’re not facing this alone.’”
Though shirts and merchandise with her badge number are no longer available, Nikki designed a Faith Over Fear line of clothing and accessories that can be ordered by messaging her on the Facebook page.
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