Finding Hope Through
Cancer
There are times in everyone's lives when they rely completely on others. Mine came when I was 36 and my world crumbled around me. I had just given birth to my daughter and I was surrounded by people I loved. Everything seemed perfect, but I could never guess how that was about to change.
After having my daughter, I returned to full-time work and it was all downhill from there. I was always exhausted and out of breath and I began losing significant amounts of weight-about 5-7 lbs a week. I tried chalking it up to being a new mother, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. A trip to the doctor and a battery of tests shook my world. I learned that I had pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and is strongly associated with exposure to asbestos. I had been unknowingly exposed as a child and 30 years later the symptoms of mesothelioma were just starting to show.
I first thought of my baby girl and husband. I had been told that I would only live for about 15 more months without treatment. Thinking of them alone was unbearable and I knew I had to fight for my life. Because things weren't looking good, I took the most extreme treatment option that I was offered. We knew this was going to be a huge change for us, but we had to do it. My husband flew with me to Boston so I could receive extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery, which removed my entire left lung and all of the surrounding tissue. I spent 18 days in the hospital after surgery and almost two more months afterward recovering at home before beginning chemotherapy and radiation treatments. All the while, I was trying as hard as I could to be the best new mom possible to my baby girl.
While my husband and I were in Boston, my daughter, Lily, was staying with my parents in South Dakota. In one fell swoop, they had gone back to raising a child, but they weren't alone. Kids that I used to babysit as a teen now had their own families and would volunteer to watch Lily while my parents were at their full-time jobs. People from our church were right by my parents’ side to help with anything that they needed during this time. I will never be able to fully repay or express my gratitude to these people. Their support is what helped my family make it through this difficult time.
All throughout the time while I was in Boston recovering, my daughter was growing and learning. She was experiencing so many firsts that I couldn’t be there for. The only way I was able to be a part of this was through black and white of photographs emailed by my parents and printed out by my husband for me to see. It was so hard to be away from Lily during that time in her life, but I knew that I was doing what I had to do then to be able to still be with her today. Lily was the main reason I was fighting, and she was in the best of care while I did just that.
My advice to anyone who is going through a tough situation in life is embrace the help and support of those around you. Alot of good can come from the bad things. Although my prognosis was dire, it brought many good things and lessons, and I'm extremely grateful for that. The reason that I share my story is so that people can hopefully learn to look at any bad situation in their lives and learn to take some good from it. Being diagnosed with cancer was terrifying, but looking back on my whole experience, I see that I grew and learned so much, and I would not trade that for anything.
There are times in everyone's lives when they rely completely on others. Mine came when I was 36 and my world crumbled around me. I had just given birth to my daughter and I was surrounded by people I loved. Everything seemed perfect, but I could never guess how that was about to change.
After having my daughter, I returned to full-time work and it was all downhill from there. I was always exhausted and out of breath and I began losing significant amounts of weight-about 5-7 lbs a week. I tried chalking it up to being a new mother, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. A trip to the doctor and a battery of tests shook my world. I learned that I had pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and is strongly associated with exposure to asbestos. I had been unknowingly exposed as a child and 30 years later the symptoms of mesothelioma were just starting to show.
I first thought of my baby girl and husband. I had been told that I would only live for about 15 more months without treatment. Thinking of them alone was unbearable and I knew I had to fight for my life. Because things weren't looking good, I took the most extreme treatment option that I was offered. We knew this was going to be a huge change for us, but we had to do it. My husband flew with me to Boston so I could receive extrapleural pneumonectomy surgery, which removed my entire left lung and all of the surrounding tissue. I spent 18 days in the hospital after surgery and almost two more months afterward recovering at home before beginning chemotherapy and radiation treatments. All the while, I was trying as hard as I could to be the best new mom possible to my baby girl.
While my husband and I were in Boston, my daughter, Lily, was staying with my parents in South Dakota. In one fell swoop, they had gone back to raising a child, but they weren't alone. Kids that I used to babysit as a teen now had their own families and would volunteer to watch Lily while my parents were at their full-time jobs. People from our church were right by my parents’ side to help with anything that they needed during this time. I will never be able to fully repay or express my gratitude to these people. Their support is what helped my family make it through this difficult time.
All throughout the time while I was in Boston recovering, my daughter was growing and learning. She was experiencing so many firsts that I couldn’t be there for. The only way I was able to be a part of this was through black and white of photographs emailed by my parents and printed out by my husband for me to see. It was so hard to be away from Lily during that time in her life, but I knew that I was doing what I had to do then to be able to still be with her today. Lily was the main reason I was fighting, and she was in the best of care while I did just that.
My advice to anyone who is going through a tough situation in life is embrace the help and support of those around you. Alot of good can come from the bad things. Although my prognosis was dire, it brought many good things and lessons, and I'm extremely grateful for that. The reason that I share my story is so that people can hopefully learn to look at any bad situation in their lives and learn to take some good from it. Being diagnosed with cancer was terrifying, but looking back on my whole experience, I see that I grew and learned so much, and I would not trade that for anything.
Here is the link to Heather's blog! Please go show her some love!!
