How Can You Make a Difference?

After Battling Cancer, Woman Strives to Help Others

(Debbie Bozsa- January 29, 2010) � A year ago, I really wasn�t aware of what a phenomenal program Relay for Life is, nor was I aware that the American Cancer Society would take on such importance in my life this year. Just nine months ago, I received a surprise diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer, the most deadly of the gynecological cancers. And ever since that day I�ve been struck how seemingly little things can make a BIG difference!

Ovarian Cancer is called the silent killer because the symptoms seem minor and may be passed over as gastro intestinal issues. In fact, I had some minor symptoms last February, but they were such little things that I didn�t pay much attention. I had a stomach virus in late January, and presumed that my stomach and intestines hadn�t returned to normal yet.

Even as my minor symptoms grew over the next two months, I still didn�t pay much attention. I felt well enough to continue working and playing as usual. The whole family was excited about planning and participating in my nephew�s wedding so I just assumed, as my doctor did, that the bloating and fatigue were due to something simple like IBS, or another virus, or maybe just stress.

Unfortunately for me, those little symptoms of bloating, fatigue, and intestinal discomfort, were actually a very BIG deal. So two months after the symptoms appeared, I was stunned to be diagnosed with Stage 3C Ovarian Cancer. I have a very large extended family, but thankfully there�s not much cancer, so I was totally unprepared for such a serious diagnosis!

In fact, because the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer are so subtle, [over 2/3rds of all cases are diagnosed in late stages like mine. Less than 2% of all women will face OvCa, but if I could help even one woman catch the symptoms early, that would be a BIG deal to me and to her!

During the two months of minor symptoms, I tried to get an appointment with a GI specialist as my doctor recommended. But because I didn�t think this was a big deal, I accepted an appointment for June, and made another appointment w/my primary care doctor to request some preliminary tests.

Lucky for me, my primary care doctor worked late and reviewed my CT results the same night of the tests. She called me that night and told me the tests showed a suspicious mass in the pelvis and that she�d get me an appt the next day with one of the area�s best gynecological oncologists. So my new doctor, a perfect stranger, was the one to deliver the devastating news to my husband and me. He quickly became our new best friend.

Two days later, a team of surgeons at Barnes performed a 3 hour surgery to remove a grapefruit size tumor from the ovaries, along with the uterus and ovaries; peel the lining off the bladder, resection the colon, and perform a tummy tuck to remove all visible traces of cancer in the belly fat.

So my subtle symptoms which produced a little discomfort had now turned into a full blown fight for my life.

I still think another lucky break for me was going from shock the day of the diagnosis, to morphine fog two days later after surgery. I really didn�t have time to get anxious over the diagnosis and the dismal prognosis! Nor did I have time to research best treatment practices for the disease, or what the recovery would be like, or what issues I�d face during chemo. I just trusted the team of doctors and nurses at Barnes to take the best care of me. And from all indications they did.

Less than two weeks after the surgery, I received a get well card from someone I�d recently met. It may seem like a little thing, but that card contained a brief note from Julie Gustafson, a woman introduced to me by my business partner, whom I�d met for lunch the week prior to diagnosis. Julie helps the ACS with publicity and PR, and when she heard about my diagnosis, she immediately sent me a note telling me to contact Dione at ACS.

Now this may sound really obvious to you, but frankly it never would have occurred to me to call ACS even though I�d been diagnosed with cancer. And even though I�ve donated to ACS for many years, I always associated them with research. I called Dione on the following Monday, thinking that perhaps she could direct me to research about the disease and treatment options. I had no idea she would provide such practical assistance on coping with cancer.

When I asked Dione whether there were any other Ovarian Cancer survivors in the area, she was able to connect me with another woman, Chris Hussman, who is a 15 year survivor. While it may seem like a small thing, to provide a referral to another survivor, but it was a big deal to me! I was still adjusting to the idea that the average life expectancy of Ovarian Cancer survivors is 8 years, so talking to a 15 year survivor was huge! I�ve spoken to Chris many times in the past 9 months, and she has been a great boost to my morale and self-confidence. That�s been no small contribution to the quality of my recovery.

Besides referring me to Chris during that first call, Dione invited me to come into the office to pick out a wig and to learn more about other services they offered, like transportation to doctor appointments and the Look Good, Feel Better program. So a few days after that first call, my mother and a friend were off to ACS for our wig adventure. I was still in a fog and weak, since surgery was just 3 weeks prior.

Dione could not have been more helpful or supportive. She made the choice of a wig into a fun experience that put us all at ease. Again, it may seem like a little thing to spend an hour trying on wigs with trusted friends in a quiet, calm environment, but it meant a lot to someone who was still emerging from the morphine fog and gearing up for the first chemo! Another bonus � my 7 year old niece became fascinated with the wig, and it helped reduce the tension in my family about how to relate to me as a cancer survivor. It helped all of us realize, that I was still Debbie the person, not just Debbie the cancer patient!

The three of us left that day after sharing a lot of laughter with Dione but also becoming better informed about additional resources to help me cope with recovery. And besides the free wig, I had a referral to a cancer support group hosted each month by Jeri Lampman.

Now Jeri is an amazing woman who has turned her experience as a caregiver and survivor into a wonderful resource for others facing cancer.

My husband, Chuck, and I attended the May mtg, just two days prior to my first chemo. Not only did I find reassurance and support to face that first chemo with optimism, but my husband spoke with other caregivers and found support for what he was feeling and experiencing. Once again, one little referral, from Dione to Jeri, made a big difference in my recovery and my husband�s ability to cope.

My conversations with Chris, the support group with Jeri, research from cancer.org, all helped me to become better informed, and confident that I could cope with chemo. After all, with this disease as so many things in life, attitude is altitude!

I made it through the first round of chemo, then the second, and was finally coming out of the shock and morphine to arrive at fear! The third chemo was supposed to switch from IV to IP, which absolutely terrified me! I was having some complications from the original surgery, however, which bought me a three week delay in making the decision about the new chemo. Luckily I had advice from Chris, Jeri, and the support group, in addition to excellent support from my oncologist and his chemo staff to help guide me thru these difficult choices.

Without Julie�s seemingly small gesture of a note in a get well card, it would never have occurred to me to call ACS. But thanks to her care and concern, I developed a strong network of friends and advisors that made my recovery infinitely easier.

During my conversations with Chris and at the group mtgs w/Jeri, I learned about Relay for Life and what a celebration it is for survivors. So on June 17, in the midst of my trepidations about chemo, exactly 10 wks from my surgery, and three days after my third round of chemo, in record heat, Chuck and I participated in our first Relay for Life at Edwardsville High School.

Can any of you remember your first relay for life? It was a phenomenal experience for me. What an amazing celebration of life and love!

It filled me with hope in a way nothing had before. Coping with cancer involves a lot of intestinal fortitude! Not just dealing with new aches and pains, making decisions about treatment, planning life around doctor visits . . . It also includes overcoming the feeling of helplessness, of coming to terms with having a chronic disease without a cure, and facing an uncertain future with grace.

In my fight against cancer, I�ve come to realize there are several small things that I can do to make a difference. One is to reach out and spread the word about the silent symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. Another is to raise funds for Relay for Life, so that other survivors and caregivers can experience the practical assistance of the American Cancer Society in coping with cancer.