Mom suffering from terminal cancer planned last road trip with son. But then, a miracle happened

Life undoubtedly provides an individual with hardships, but there are also moments when it takes you aback with divine interventions. Leslie Stone, an art professor from California's Orange County, felt every bit of what life could offer in the last few years. From devastation to unprecedented joy, there was nothing that she skipped out on after her cancer diagnosis. Now, she is standing tall, having fought the worst thing life could put in her way, and is sharing her story with everyone, reports TODAY. Leslie recounts how she was ready to make peace with dying and made plans for the last trip with her son when everything turned on its head with a call.

The whole ordeal started with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Stone immediately went to her gynecologist. Since she was in her 50s, her doctor took some tissue for testing. Soon, she was handed in the terrible diagnosis- Uterine Cancer. She joined the 3.1% of women who suffer from uterine cancer, as reported by the National Cancer Institute. She was recommended to Dr. Alberto Mendivil, a gynecologic oncologist in Newport Beach, California, for further treatment. Seeing her and her scans, the specialist assured her that the whole thing could be cured with surgery. "He said, 'Well, we're going to do a hysterectomy, and that should take care of it. I don't think you'll have any other problems,'" she recalls.

Stone underwent the surgery and was feeling fine the next day. But after some time, the spotting returned. A different doctor looked at her scans and informed her that the cancer had returned. There was a small tumor "about the size of a pea" along the incision made for the hysterectomy. The next course of action put her with six rounds of chemotherapy followed by five weeks of radiation five times a week. This stage was extremely difficult for her, as she suffered from intense migraines. "I see these flashing lights," she says. "People start looking like Picasso paintings. In about 20 minutes, I can’t drive, I can't do anything." This treatment also did not work, and as per the doctor, by now the cancer had spread everywhere.

She was losing patience and she went into panic mode. "I was quite shocked," she says. "None of my doctors were working, and I'm looking at stuff on my own." She read that her cancer was "terminal" and there were "no treatments." She began leaving messages to doctors left, right, and center. Since it was Thanksgiving weekend, no one reverted. It sent her more into a spiral. Finally, her doctor called back.

The doctor gave Stone some uplifting information. "He said, 'Don't worry you're not dying, not yet … there is a treatment called Keytruda, and we're going to start you on this right away,'" she says. The immunotherapy was hard on her body. She experienced an expansion in her stomach. There were stabbing pains, which caused her to become bedridden. But, slowly and steadily, everything became better.

However, this time, Stone was not getting her hopes up. She began preparing for a proper farewell to her friends and family. The Art Professor came up with a plan of taking a road trip with her son. "I thought, 'I'm going to go on this last hurrah road trip. … I'm going to see all my friends across the country, one last time, reconnect with all these people,'" Stone says. "'I'm going to give my son experiences he won't ever forget — something to remember me.'" Her son Tripp was also on board. Before she could embark on the trip, she got a call from her doctor. The doctor gave her the news that she was cancer-free.

Stone shared the news with Tripp, who also could not contain his excitement. Both of them still decided to take the trip. They traveled 3000 miles, visiting many beautiful towns and cities, celebrating this second shot at life. Stone credits her positive outlook as one of the biggest reasons she was able to fight the monster that is cancer. Now, she wants to live her life to the fullest, spreading awareness about the disease.