In one absolutely agonizing week in November I went from a normal, healthy, 35 year old woman to a cancer patient.
I had been a pilot for Fedex for 7 years, and just had my two year
anniversary with my husband Bret. I moved to Memphis almost four years
ago and just started to feel at home, settling in on Mud Island. On
November 30, 2009, I was told I have follicular lymphoma, a type of Non Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Another week later we knew it was stage IV. For most people, myself
included, this is the worst day of your life. Nothing is the same from
that point forward.
I
began my treatment with guarded hope. After the first treatment I was
sick for a few days but then felt almost normal. Fear that it was not
working crept in, I felt I was not sick enough for the drugs to be doing
their job. Then after the second treatment I was getting frustrated. I
worried I was making myself sick for no good reason. Before my third
treatment I had a scan to see if we were making progress. To my
surprise it showed "no evidence of disease." After only two treatments
we had gotten rid of all masses. I was floored, in shock.
The
biggest lesson learned with my cancer diagnosis is that things change,
sometimes quickly. Just know if one treatment doesn't work there are
others, and there are always new treatments in development. Keep your
head up and remember things will change. In two and a half months I
went from healthy to despair to optimistic. If someone would have said
'don't worry things will be OK in February,' I would not have believed
them. But I'm here to say it can and will be OK. Maybe not in 3
months, a year, or even 2 years but cancer can be a very manageable and
sometimes curable disease. With the help of your family, friends,
neighbors, and cancer organizations you will get through this.