Cancer

My Story...
I have had to deal with cancer, I dont have cancer but some of my family members
had it. For one my grandma had colon cancer, but she beat it. Then my cousin who
was very young had cancer and died from it we were very close.....so its still kind
of hard to cope that shes gone. Thats how cancer has been in my life. Here are some
other stories that touched my heart.
Melinda's Story...
"It was the summer of 2007, and I was 13 years old.
I enjoyed playing the piano, writing stories, cooking, and above all... dancing. By this time, dance had become my passion, and I
was taking classes five days a week. When it was difficult for me to breathe on a family hike to the top of Yosemite Falls, I
thought it was the altitude, my imagination-- something. I then noticed, for the first time, it was difficult to breathe lying on my
back. Turning on my side, the pressure on my lungs seemed to be lifted, and I could finally fall to sleep. As September greeted
me, I was feeling terrible every second of every day. I was dizzy, as white as a sheet, and so tired that the couch became my new
hangout. We then began our weekly trips to the doctor. The day I went for my very first appointment, my new doctor suggested
that I might be depressed. What?! Then, hearing my chuckles at the diagnosis, my doctor ordered a blood test. Ill never forget
the morning I had to go for my first poke to draw blood; I was terrified.

When October arrived, I had already received
so many blood tests that the veins in my arms
had formed scar tissue. At this point in time, I
was diagnosed with anemia, and we requested
more tests to determine the cause of it. As my
health steadily declined, my mom kept
requesting more diagnostic tests. I even found
myself being examined by a pediatric
hematologist/oncologist. She pointed to the
bulletin board crammed with pictures of
twinkly-eyed, bald-headed kids and said,
Dont worry; youre not one of them.

As November rolled around, we were desperate to find out what was wrong with me. My quality of life had been scraped down
to almost nothing, and by this time, I was barely able to go to my dance classes. Strangely enough, as I struggled through class, a
vital symptom emerged. It was what I called a dolphin cough, a high-pitched wheezing cough that escaped when I exerted
myself. At my very next appointment with the doctor, we asked for a chest X-ray to check on my lungs, and the X-ray came back
abnormal. It was at this time that my doctor referred us to a pediatrician. My new pediatrician ordered a CT scan, and then came
the day that we finally found what was making me so sick. An enormous mass sat in my chest cavity, constricting my airway and
blood flow. Numb. I was completely numb.

On November 29th, 2007, we met Dr. Daniel Greenfield at Cottage Hospital. Immediately, I felt confident with his care. The next
day, I would have a PET scan and then, soon after, I would need a biopsy. Because the mass was so large, there was a danger of
my airway collapsing during surgery and special anesthesia arrangements were made to ensure my safety. Finally, on
December 18th, 2007, the phone rang. We at last had a final diagnosis-- Hodgkin lymphoma. Four rounds and 48 doses of chemo
later, I emerged thrashed and worn, yet bald and proud. My mass had responded to the chemo, but radiation was required to
shrink it further. Then, on April 21st, with a head as fuzzy as a peach, I began the first day of three weeks of radiation. During the
daily hour and a half drive to Santa Barbara, my mom and I always seemed to find something to laugh about. I dressed up my
giant stuffed gorilla, Antonio, in a different costume each day. He brought much needed comic relief and smiles to the staff and
the patients at the Cancer Center.

Despite being sick of being sick, I had become used to being a cancer kid. But it was May 8th, 2008, as I finished treatment,
when I took on a new identity. The victorious, proud feeling inside of me was soon replaced with helplessness now
what? I had gotten through treatment for the killer of all killers, so now what do I do? There was no goal, no ending. Nothing.

Cancer gobbled me up, chewed me up, and spit me out, and returning to my old life was entirely impossible. In a sense, the old
me died, and I was left huddled on the couch searching for the new me. It was not long after the end of treatment, that late
effects surfaced-- the worst being my digestive problems. A daily battle, the side effects were finally traced back to one of my
medications. But it was too late. In a deep, dark depression, my physical hatred of food turned into an emotional hatred. In the
following months, I fought what was likely the most life-threatening battle of all, an eating disorder. I was 54 tall; I weighed 79
pounds.

My bright spirit dimmed before disappearing in the darkness of depression. The girl who had fought so hard to stay alive now
wished to be permanently spared all the pain of life. I began to see a therapist to begin healing emotionally. Then, one day I
picked up a pad of paper and a pen, and I began to write. I started from the beginning, right when the whole world, and life that I
knew and loved, got blown to pieces. Without the goal of a book in my mind, I just wrote-- wrote about what had happened and
exactly how I felt about it. I wanted it to be pure, honest, and utterly truthful. This is what cancer is; this is how it feels; this is
what it is like to go through it.
Heather's Story
Heather was diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a cue ball when she was 14 years old.
After surgery, she faced months of limited activity and the possibility of the tumor coming back.
In 2003, at age 25, Heather won the Marine Corps Marathon, nearly breaking the women's record in the race. In 2004, she
competed in the Olympic Trials, placing sixth with a time of 2:31:53. The Children's Cause spoke with Heather after her Marine
Corps win in 2003 about life, running, and being a brain tumor survivor.

CCCA: How did you get into running?
Heather: I started to run with my Dad. It was something I always looked
forward to when I was growing up.

CCCA: Your win at the Marine Corps qualifies you for an Olympic trial in
April, doesn't it?
Heather: Yes, I'm really excited about that!

CCCA: How does being a brain tumor survivor affect your athletic pursuits?
Heather: Im more intense about it because I realize I dont have all the time in the world. The brain tumor can come back
tomorrow. If I spend my time doing this, I want to give it my all and work as hard as I can.

CCCA: What were some of the toughest things you went through after diagnosis and during recovery?
Heather: Always having to go back for tests, the fear and uncertainty were hard. I recovered pretty quickly; the doctors said I
was always ahead of schedule.

CCCA: When you started taking over your own health care, could you provide your doctor with a detailed history of treatment
for your brain tumor?
Heather: I just told my doctor that I had a brain tumor removed in 1992, that it was in the meninges, the lining of my brain. He
was very adamant that I have an MRI as soon as I could get an appointment. I didn't provide him with any detail, but he was very
concerned and I feel comfortable with him.

CCCA: Have you and your doctor discussed potential late effects?
Heather: The only thing we really discuss is the possibility that the tumor may come back and spread. We just decided that I
should really stay on top of the MRIs.

CCCA: What do you do to take care of your health in the long term?
Heather: I try to be as healthy as I can and take care of myself as best I can. I eat healthy and make sure I go to the doctor
regularly.

CCCA: What was a greater challenge beating the brain tumor or winning the marathon?
Heather: I had to undergo a lot of tests when I was diagnosed and I couldnt do anything for about six months. That was tough.
Overcoming this is the same as winning the marathon and trying to make the Olympic team.

CCCA: How does being a survivor influence your life today?
Heather: I thank God for each day. I tell those close to me how I feel about them and I value my relationships a lot more.
Its not something that I think about all the time, but it stays in the back of my head. I didnt have chemo, and sometimes I feel
silly because there are others whove had a harder time. I dont think my experience is necessarily noteworthy and sometimes it
feels like Im exploiting it a bit.

CCCA: Do you get tired of being pigeonholed as a runner and cancer survivor?
Heather: Sometimes I get tired of being the girl with the brain tumor, but thats OK if it helps others.

CCCA: What positive things have resulted from having the brain tumor?
Heather: I just have a greater appreciation for everythingespecially the little things. Ive also learned that you can be positive
through anything.

CCCA: What advice do you have for other survivors?
Heather: Take every day as a blessing. You can overcome anything.
Sebastian's Story
Sebastian was given a week to live when he was first diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma at the age of 8. When we spoke to
him in 2005, he was a 16 year old high school senior using his experience to speak on behalf of childhood cancer patients and
survivors. Today, Sebastian is a college student at Tufts.

CCCA: How did you become involved in cancer advocacy and speaking on
behalf of childhood cancer survivors?
Sebastian: Im not really sure. Im here because people fought to save kids
like me, and there are 12,000 kids each year who still have to fight. That just
means that my fight isnt over either and it wont be until pediatric cancer is
gone. If that means that I have to convince some politicians of the things that
seem so obvious to usthat our kids are the most important things in the
worldthen so be it.

CCCA: What other advocacy activities are you involved in?
Sebastian: In April I organized the local chapter of St. Baldricks Day, and we raised over $2000 in two weeks. The event is a
pediatric cancer fundraiser where people are sponsored to shave their heads, to show solidarity with the kids. Im in the process
of organizing next years event, which means growing my hair back out.

Im trying to get the New York DMV to mandate the creation of Cure Childhood Cancer license plates to raise funds and
awareness. Its already been done in Alabama and Connecticut, so its possible, and hopefully inevitable.

I also go to Gold Ribbon Days in Washington, DC every year and lobby for more funding.

CCCA: What helped you get through your diagnosis and treatment?
Sebastian: I was 8, so I really didnt grasp what was going on around me. To me, dying was never part of the picture. It was just
like having another cold to me. Id take this medicine, get these shots, endure the most painful things Ive ever had, and get
better. Luckily, thats the way it worked out. I dont know if my stubborn ignorance helped me, but thats how things were for
me. Ive gotten sick a lot since I got out of treatment, as sick as I was during chemo, and Ive approached it the only way I know
how: defeat isnt an option.

CCCA: What were the hardest things to deal with during and after treatment?
Sebastian: During my first rounds of chemo, I had horrible mouth sores. The only thing I could eat was Starburst. One of the
hardest things was boredom. Even though I was pretty sick for a long time, there was a lot of time where I was just sitting around,
healthy enough to be bored, waiting for my white counts to go up. I read a lot, and learned a lot, so I guess it wasnt all bad.

CCCA: How did your treatment affect school and extracurricular activities?
Sebastian: I missed a year and half while in treatment, and then another 3 from related illnesses (Chronic Ulcerative Colitis,
Diabetes)

CCCA: How did having cancer affect your friendships and your relationship with your family?
Sebastian: I was really shy before I got sick. I had friends, but getting sick really brought people closer to me, and made me
closer to them. It brought my family together, too.

CCCA: How does you cancer experience impact your life now?
Sebastian: It made me grow a lot as a kid. I think it made me miss a lot of things about being young, because I felt and seemed
so much older before I even broke double digits. So, people tell me Im smart, and Im mature, but I prefer to think of myself as a
big 10 year old.
Its also taught me a lot about priorities. People always tell you that life is short, and that you never know whats going to
happen, and that you have to enjoy every moment. Most people never learn that, though. Staring cancer, staring death in the face
for so long really drives the truth of that home. You stop minding the little things.

CCCA: What are some positive things that have come from your cancer experience?
Sebastian: A lot of good things came from my treatment. I learned that even bad things are good, which might be part of why I
think so many good things happened. Ill share a story to show my point.
After my big surgery I had a nasogastric tube going up my nose and then down my throat to my stomach. I couldnt move, I
couldnt eat, and I couldnt really talk. Its hard to get comfortable when you have a tube stuck down your throat like that, so I
wanted to get it out as soon as possible.
Dr. LaQuaglia, my doctor, came to see me, and I asked him when I could get the tube out. He looked at me and said, Right now.
Take it out.
I stared at him for a second, kind of stunned. Right now? You want me to take it out?
Yeah. Go ahead. Just grab and tug. So, I peeled the tape of my nose, took a deep breath and tugged.
I looked at Dr. LaQuaglia, expectantly, and he just looked right back at me. So, gritted my teeth and pulled again 5 or 6 times,
and then the last bit popped out.
I was never really sure why he had me do it myself; I just sort of accepted it. Consciously, I felt kind of betrayed. Why couldnt
he just help me out and do it for me? Subconsciously, though, I think I got the lesson.
He was trying to show me that, no matter how hard something was, I didnt always need someone to help me, to take care of me,
to solve my problems for me. He was preparing me for when I wouldnt be able to rely on everyone around me, even if they
wanted to help me, because some things I just had to deal with on my own.
He taught me that sometimes you just have to help yourself.

CCCA: What advice would you give to cancer patients and survivors your age?
Sebastian: You can make it, and you will. And once you do, dont let it limit you. Youre not a cancer survivor; youre not
bound by that. Thats a badge on your chest, a medal thats letting the whole world know what great things youve already done,
and the great things youre destined for.

CCCA: How has your cancer experience changed you?
Sebastian: Having cancer made me, without exception, what I am today.