Carol S. Thompson

Carol S. Thompson

July 15, 1960- April 4, 2025

FUNERAL SERVICE: Saturday April 12, 5:00PM with VISITATION from 3:00-5:00PM at West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Secondary Education Fund for Carol’s granddaughter, Oaklynn Reisinger-Altrock in care of Mariel Byers: 8110 S. 90^th Plaza, Apt. 1, LaVista, NE 68128.

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Carol was preceded in death by her mother, Mary C. Carolus (10/19/1985); nephew, baby William Finnegan Carolus (1997); father, Joseph Bertram Carolus (3/19/2007).

She is survived by her loving husband, Jeff Thompson; children: Mariel Byers (Castle), Marissa Reisinger, Michelle McRae (Jonathan), Robert Thompson, and Ryan Thompson (Bethanna); granddaughter, Oaklynn Reisinger; siblings: Malinda Zarate, Jerry Carolus, Mike Carolus (Jodi), Patricia Baker (Richard), W. Bryan Carolus (Amy), Peter Carolus (Jennifer).

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My Journey Through Cancer: A Testament to God’s Grace

I grew up Catholic and was not practicing my religion as an adult.  Friends invited Jeff and me to join them at Citylight Church in 2015.  Through hearing the preaching of God’s Word, I came to understand that it’s not about climbing your way to salvation but having a personal relationship with Jesus.  There was nothing I could do to save myself.  It was only through the grace of God.

For the past seven years, I have been battling cancer, defying the odds time and time again.  Each day I am reminded of the incredible grace that God has shown me, and I want to give Him all the glory for the time I’ve been given.

Throughout this journey, several astounding things have occurred—moments of strength and encouragement that I know could only come from God.  Though I may be the one living with cancer, I fully believe that God’s comforting hand has been guiding me every step of the way.

I was diagnosed with Primary CNS B-cell lymphoma in October of 2017.  I was in the intensive care unit for three weeks, and after a biopsy, I learned that it was an inoperable tumor on the brain stem.   I had high-dose chemotherapy for five months and had a stem-cell transplant in May of 2018.  That was rough, but it did go into remission.  The doctors said the average lifespan was 48 months and that when it came back, it would likely be terminal.

In April or May of 2018, I really wanted my daughters to join me in my faith. They visited church with me a couple of times.  I want them to know the peace I’ve found in Jesus and the sustaining hope for day-to-day life.  I knew because of Jesus that everything was going to be okay.  It was a complete sense of calm.  Jesus has continued to sustain me with His perfect peace.

I regained my health and went back to work until it came back in October of 2021.  I did chemo again and then was put on a new drug that was designed to prevent tumor growth for nine to sixteen months.  It actually worked for almost three years.

It came back a third time in March of 2024 with an additional two tumors that were aggressive.  I was on a new clinical trial drug, but it didn’t work.  They did seven weeks of high-dose chemo and steroids.  It worked on one of the tumors, but the other was chemo-resistant and actually grew.  At that point, they told me I had about three weeks to live if they couldn’t slow its growth.  So, they decided that I should undergo an unconventional treatment of targeted radiation twice a day for fifteen days.  It shrunk the golf ball-sized tumor to the size of a grape.  Now I’m on oral chemo that has a fifty percent chance of giving me another six to nine months of quality of life.  At one point after the radiation, I was done.  I did not have the energy or strength to go on, as I had a lot of pain throughout my body.  The doctors put me back on steroids to help reduce the inflammation and edema caused by the tumors, which has helped.

I know my future is in God’s hands.  Due to the tumor growth, I have some minor brain damage and significant muscle weakness.  I received my treatment at the Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, where medical staff have voiced being impressed with how I have responded to treatment and outlived all their estimates.  There have been angels along the way.  One of the housekeeping staff would come to my hospital room and sing hymns while she worked.  She also prayed with us, which was incredibly encouraging.  Other staff would say they were praying for us.  We also know we were on prayer chains all over the world.  I know it’s God’s strength that has carried me through.

I also want to express the impact that my husband, Jeff, has had on me.  Without him, I would not be here.  He has been an incredible caretaker.  He organizes everything in my life with an amazing level of patience and devotion.  His faith and biblical knowledge challenged me to want to find that same spiritual foundation.  We’ve had a lot of spiritual conversations that made me hungry to know more.  I wanted to know what made his faith different from mine.  We were church shopping in 2015 when we met friends who invited us to Citylight, which is ultimately where I learned what a personal relationship with Jesus looked like.

I feel it’s important to share my story.  I hope my story brings encouragement to those who are facing their own struggles.  Thank you for allowing me to share this part of my life with you.  I pray that my journey may be a reminder of God’s presence and His never-ending grace.

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West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha, Ne 68124  |  (402)-391-3900|   www.heafeyheafey.com