Life After Cancer: 31 Years and Counting
Marci McNaghtenI’m a long-time survivor of cancer. I was diagnosed with childhood leukemia in 1980, when I was 13. No age is a good age to learn you have cancer, but 13 seemed particularly rough. Fitting in? No chance after losing my hair, missing three months of school, and choking down more pills a day than all my grandparents combined.
Years later I learned I was actually lucky to get my kind of cancer when I was a teenager. At the time, standard treatment for ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) involved very high doses of radiation to the brain. For younger kids, whose brains were still developing, this could lead to learning disabilities and difficulties at school. Other serious problems could occur, too, including brain tumors caused by the radiation therapy and certain chemotherapy drugs.
I was very fortunate to avoid learning disabilities. And so far I’ve been spared other medical late effects of treatment. But even now I still worry that something could go wrong.
One way I’ve coped with these lingering fears is to work in the healthcare field. As an English major, healthcare communications made career sense. At work I’ve written articles, brochures, booklets and Websites about cancer. I’ve interviewed doctors, scientists, nurses, social workers and patients. And along the way, I’ve learned about the medical side of cancer as well as the many ways it can infiltrate your life – physically, emotionally, financially – you name it.
When a co-worker at Providence St. Peter Hospital created this blog, I wanted to figure out a meaningful way to contribute. I plan to write about issues I’ve dealt with as a cancer survivor. Many of these topics have already been expertly addressed in the blog. But hopefully something I write will resonate with someone, and make a small difference in the way he or she copes with their own cancer experience.
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Reader Comments (3)
Thank you. I am the caregiver of a cancer survivor and embrace all the information I can absorb!
In 1960 while having my appendix removed the Drs found tumors in my abdomen. I was too young for surgery and no other treatment was available. 1 year late rI am 12 years old and the tumor started growing out of the appendix scar. Surgery proved that the tumors were too involved in my organs that removal of the tumors was impossible. The only hope was radiation. For 2 months I had radiation every day. I would go into a dark room with only 1 window. They would drape sheets of lead over my body areas that were not going to be radiated. For a 12 year old this was very frightening. I was discharged with no guarantees that the radiation would help. But it did. Then in May of 09 I was diagnosed with lung cancer. 2 series of chemo and 49 days of radiation followed. My most recent PET scan in Feb of 2011showed that the cancer cells are no longer active. I go in every 3 weeks to have blood work done and my port flushed. In November of 2010 I had a bone marrow biopsy done. My blood counts were not improving and a bone marrow biopsy would show any blood problems. The day before Thanksgiving of 2010 I was diagnosed with Leukemia. I was at stage 5 which is the most treatable for a cure. I was at rock bottom for depression. My wife who is my care giver was also depressed. But we kept telling each other that I beat it in the 60's we beat it in 2010 and we will beat this little hurdle. I must take my hat off to all the care givers out there. If it was not for you alot of us would have given up by now. The Lewis County Cancer Clinic is having a cook book published in September. Some of the infusion patients submitted recipes. Later we were asked to write something about our treatment. Even though the following is being published in the cook book I would like to share it with you. It is a tribute to my wife and how important she is to me for my continued living.
My Wife (Mary E. Colvin)
By : Brian L. Colvin
My WIFE helps me have a positive outlook on life
My WIFE enccourages me to see the humor in life
My WIFE nourishes my life
My WIFE makes life worthwhile
My WIFE helps transform a bad day into one filled with love, hope and promise
My WIFE makes it easy to love her and appreciate all the things she does in my life
Without my WIFE there is no life.
To all you caregivers I say thankyou for helping us beat this desease. Good luck to all of you caregivers and people who need the care. Brian L. Colvin
Brian – Thank you for sharing your story. I am very sorry you’ve had to deal with cancer three different times. I can relate to parts of your first time with cancer – like going into the dark, scary room for radiation when you're just a kid. But I can’t imagine what it's been like to deal with cancer twice more. I really admire how you and your wife are coping with the latest challenge. As you say, you are very fortunate to have your wife right there with you. I send you both my wishes for continued strength and hope.