My first guest blogger!
I have a new friend in the blogosphere. Her name is Heather and she is a miracle. She and I are similar in that we use our blogs to reach out and share our medical "horror" stories in the hope of helping others who may find themselves or their loved ones in similar situations (see my posts re: my son Adam and his cataracts) Here is her guest blog post for Stewart Snippets:
You can read more about Heather and her story at:
http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather/
Find
the Good: My Cancer Story
You may come to a point where your life completely changes. At the age of 36, I came to that point, one where I felt the whole spectrum of human emotion - from being overjoyed to absolute sadness. The happiness came on August 4, 2005; the day that my daughter Lily was born. That day - my husband and I - were as happy as we'd ever been. This moment was shared with everyone that we loved - both friends and family. Unfortunately, this feeling didn't last too long.
About a month after Lily was born, I went back to work. It was then I knew something wasn't right. I didn't have energy, and I started losing about 6 pounds per week. This is generally common with new mothers, but deep in my heart, I still felt as if there was a deeper, more serious issue. Unfortunately, I was correct in my thinking.
My doctor subjected me to a battery of tests, and just 3 1/2 months after Lily was born, I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This type of cancer lives in the lining of the lung, and is contracted by asbestos exposure. Without my knowledge, I had become exposed to asbestos as a child. My doctor informed me that, if I were to refused treatment, I would only have 15 months to live.
The news absolutely flattened me. I could only think of my daughter, Lily. I couldn't fathom what my family would do without me. It was then we made the decision to do everything that we could possibly do to eliminate this. We took the most aggressive form of treatment available, and on we charted off to Boston, where on February 2nd 2006, they performed a procedure called an extrapleural pneumonectomy. In this procedure, they removed the entirety of my left lung, along with all it’s surrounding tissue. I spent 18 days in the hospital. Two months later, I started radiation and chemotherapy treatment. While it was difficult, I tried to be the best possible parent throughout this troubling time.
While I was undergoing treatment, Lily flew to my parents house in South Dakota. Fortunately, there were a plethora of fantastic friends and family who helped care for her. I'll never be able to express my gratitude for this, as they are a significant reason I got through treatment. I may have missed a lot of firsts, but there was something comforting in knowing that she was in the best possible hands.
I am happy to say now that my family made it through that awful time in our lives and I am now cancer free. I go back to Boston every 6 months for new scans. Each new scan is an anxiety ridden time for me, but it also reminds me to cherish each and every day.
And as bad as cancer is, there was definitely some good in it. My family - including my beautiful Lily - gave me a reason to fight. My humble advice to any cancer sufferers is to find the good in the situation, as some most definitely exists.
You may come to a point where your life completely changes. At the age of 36, I came to that point, one where I felt the whole spectrum of human emotion - from being overjoyed to absolute sadness. The happiness came on August 4, 2005; the day that my daughter Lily was born. That day - my husband and I - were as happy as we'd ever been. This moment was shared with everyone that we loved - both friends and family. Unfortunately, this feeling didn't last too long.
About a month after Lily was born, I went back to work. It was then I knew something wasn't right. I didn't have energy, and I started losing about 6 pounds per week. This is generally common with new mothers, but deep in my heart, I still felt as if there was a deeper, more serious issue. Unfortunately, I was correct in my thinking.
My doctor subjected me to a battery of tests, and just 3 1/2 months after Lily was born, I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This type of cancer lives in the lining of the lung, and is contracted by asbestos exposure. Without my knowledge, I had become exposed to asbestos as a child. My doctor informed me that, if I were to refused treatment, I would only have 15 months to live.
The news absolutely flattened me. I could only think of my daughter, Lily. I couldn't fathom what my family would do without me. It was then we made the decision to do everything that we could possibly do to eliminate this. We took the most aggressive form of treatment available, and on we charted off to Boston, where on February 2nd 2006, they performed a procedure called an extrapleural pneumonectomy. In this procedure, they removed the entirety of my left lung, along with all it’s surrounding tissue. I spent 18 days in the hospital. Two months later, I started radiation and chemotherapy treatment. While it was difficult, I tried to be the best possible parent throughout this troubling time.
While I was undergoing treatment, Lily flew to my parents house in South Dakota. Fortunately, there were a plethora of fantastic friends and family who helped care for her. I'll never be able to express my gratitude for this, as they are a significant reason I got through treatment. I may have missed a lot of firsts, but there was something comforting in knowing that she was in the best possible hands.
I am happy to say now that my family made it through that awful time in our lives and I am now cancer free. I go back to Boston every 6 months for new scans. Each new scan is an anxiety ridden time for me, but it also reminds me to cherish each and every day.
And as bad as cancer is, there was definitely some good in it. My family - including my beautiful Lily - gave me a reason to fight. My humble advice to any cancer sufferers is to find the good in the situation, as some most definitely exists.
You can read more about Heather and her story at:
http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather/
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