JinHi Soucy Rand posted last night on fb.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Cancer entered my family's life 34 years ago.
Today marks the 34th year since my hip disarticulation to treat my Osteogenic Sarcoma.
For the first 10 years, it was an anniversary of the time since I lost my leg.
For 19 years after that, I tried to think of it as the number of years I was cancer free, despite ongoing issues with a brain tumor, ovarian and uterine cysts that ultimately led to a hysterectomy at a young age, PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
On what was to be my 30th year, we learned that I had a rare non-small cell lung cancer caused by a gene mutation. I was stage one and after a lobectomy, two rounds of chemo treatment, two rounds of radiation treatment over the next 3 years, the cancer progressed to stage 4.
Last year, after getting a second opinion that confirmed my treating oncologist's advice that I begin a gene mutation inhibitor drug, I found myself at 6 weeks in, suffering from horrific side effects, taken by ambulance to a hospital in Brooklyn where I stayed through July 4th, and through my survivor anniversary on the 6th and longer, battling sepsis, pneumonia, and neutropenia brought on by the medication.
Mark and I found ourselves dealing with the very real possibility that I wouldn't make it through another year, though neither of us said it.
We were just trying to survive the week.
After a few weeks of recovery my treating doctor and I decided to try the drug again at 75% of the original dose.
I began again on August 1, 2016. I have been taking it for almost a year with very minimal side effects, and relatively normal blood counts, and most importantly there has been no progression in the last 3 PET scans.
I've grown stronger and more curious.
Curiosity is everything to me and what I am, and I am so so grateful to have it again.
I know this will not last forever, and I have a PET scan and a brain CT scan next week, but today I can say that I am a 34 year cancer survivor, and pay tribute to that 14 year old that somehow survived that year...
And to friends that are surviving and those who have now found peace, and will forever be missed by their loved ones and myself.
-Also, I have been growing my hair out for almost a year in whatever natural color this is. I decided in the hospital that I wanted to let it grow in and see my silver truth now, in case I don't get to see it later.
Call it my precious curiosity.
Here are some pics from my hospital stay last year. It all hurt too much at the time. It's mostly Mark and me trying to keep each other smiling.
#gratefulforthisyear #survivorswagger #survivorguilt #love #countingitalljoy #charliechaplinhair #childhoodcancer #curiosity #freakslikeme #weareallsurvivors
1 comment:
She is still fighting, though with a reprieve for this weekend.
Here are her words from fb yesterday:
"The good news is that I am not getting my chemo and immunotherapy (Keytruda) today. The not so great news is that for the third time in a row, my pet scan has shown new growth in my cancer. The past two times we tried treating the new growths with radiation. This time my doctor has decided that the course of treatment I’ve been on is failing, and we need to start me on a new course with a different chemotherapy drug and a drug that will hopefully cut off the blood supply to my tumors. We start next Friday. I am hoping for the best while knowing that with new drugs, come new side effects. But for today, the good news is I’m not getting chemo and immunotherapy today, and I have the best continued care from my doctors, nurses, friends, and family. #survivorswagger #mycancerstory #chemo #radiation #thisiswhatstage4lookslike"
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