Woman fighting terminal illness hopes to inspire others with her story

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As the year comes to an end and people make plans for a new year, Destinee is fighting for another day.

"I never thought at 21 I'd be planning for a funeral," Destinee said.

Destinee felt something was wrong in 2011 when she was in high school at Detroit School of Arts.

"My heart was racing and I still went out and performed and then I collapsed," she said.

Destinee sought treatment, but doctors told her she was okay. 

"They said well Destinee you have an enlarged heart," she said.

A few years later when Destinee went to college in Florida something devastating happened.

"One day got up for class and started vomiting blood," Destinee said.    

But in 2014, that's when Destinee says she received some dreaded news.

"I have cardiac sarcoma it’s a rare cancer in the heart," she said.

Destinee says unfortunately that cancer has spread to another part of her body. 

"I have a tumor in the brain," she said. 

Recently, doctors updated her prognosis giving her 5 to 6 months to live.

"My doctors gave me 5 to 6 months and that was a few weeks ago," she said.

But Destinee believes her positive spirit will determine her true destiny. 

Even if they tell you, you don't have a lot of time, live you best life while you have life," she said.

Destinees caregiver, Venita says she is an inspiration and she hopes people will learn from her story.

If someone had just listened to her to get in the 10th grade she might be in a better place right now," Venita says.

"Her theme is fight like this, and I've never seen anyone fight as hard as this young lady," she said.

And as Destinee's fight continues, she hopes that she can inspire others with a book that she's writing.

"When I die that can be something that's passed on over and over so they can know my whole story.

A story Destinee hopes will inspire others to never give up fighting.

To learn more about Destinee and the book she is writing, she can emailed at destineespeaks02@gmail.com.