Survivors honored through personal
stories
The Hollings Cancer Center is honoring cancer survivors for their hope,
courage and perseverance in battling cancer through a special poster
display throughout the summer.The display, Faces of Hope, began as a celebration of National Cancer Survivors Month in June, and is a presentation of pictures and personal stories of cancer survivors who share their stories of overcoming unconscionable odds in their struggle against cancer. Faces of Hope stories cover the full spectrum of life experiences, ages, race and gender. Some of the survivors are athletes; some are young aspiring models, husbands, wives and entrepreneurs. And all of them share a similar story that, while tragic, also reflects the absolute courage and resolve of their human spirit to keep going despite the pain and odds.
Beating cancer is getting a bit easier due to advanced therapies. Thirty years ago, only 3 million people with cancer survived, whereas today 10 million people with cancer are survivors. In addition, cancer-related deaths have declined for the past two years. Still, cancer is the second leading cause of death among South Carolinians.
During the coming weeks, The Catalyst will report these stories. Meanwhile, the posters are on display in the Hollings Cancer Center at 86 Jonathan Lucas St.
by Martha
Cancer survivor
In case this may encourage someone else to hold on to hope…
During
the years 2000 – 2001 I battled cancer. At that time I had lost my
husband, my middle son was killed in a car accident and my youngest son
had the worst type of sickle cell anemia. He had had multiple joint
replacements and the end was near. At Christmas time, he went on
dialysis, in February he had open heart surgery and for my birthday in
March, I was diagnosed as having cancer.The prior August, a lump was detected in my breast but at the time of the biopsy, it could not be found anywhere. Six months later in the shower it reared its ugly head. Because I was stressed to the max already, my doctors worked with me considerably. My OB-GYN saw a solid mass the same day and advised me that it did not look good. Dr. Holmes sent me to Dr. Lisa Baron, the pathologist, and I had a biopsy the same afternoon. By late the next afternoon, the diagnosis of malignancy was confirmed. Working together, Drs. Lisa and Paul Baron, Dr. Hagerty and Dr. Pringle performed bilateral mastectomies with expanders and extensive reconstruction over a period of approximately a year.
After 16 radiation treatments, pneumonia set in and a stay in the hospital for pneumonia…16 more treatments came later. Then my youngest son died. The worst was over. I remained on tamoxifen for five years. My outlook is very upbeat and I am having the time of my life. Truly a second childhood.
Your outlook on life is truly what counts.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Catalyst Online is published weekly,
updated
as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public
Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of
South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at
792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to
Catalyst
Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to
catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island
Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.