Beyond Cancer

The Diagnosis

I had always heard that life begins at forty. Like many other people, I was dreading, yet at the same time, curious about how forty was going to change my life. However, two days before my 40th birthday, November 14, 1991, I was told that I had Colon Cancer. It was something I had never imagined would happen to me. Cancer is a very hard word for me to say. It should be a four letter word because it sounds so ugly. I had had medical problems for a long time. I believe it could be traced back before 1978 when I was pregnant. I remember having complications with my bowels during my pregnancy that was diagnosed as hemorrhoid problems, supposedly due to me being pregnant. It is very common for this to happen to some women during pregnancy because of all of the changes and the stress the body goes through. However, this did not get better after the delivery, not even thirteen years later.

Slow Road To Recovery

(Marie continues her story:)

There is very little at all that I can remember until later when I had been moved out of SICU. I did remember at one time it felt like a large cup over my face. I thought I was going to smother. I wanted it off my face. I thought I tried to pull it off. I once remember that something funny was on my legs that felt like air bags breathing in and out. I couldn’t figure out what they were. I don’t remember talking to anyone or seeing anyone. It seemed like I hadn’t seen Tom or Chad in a long time. I didn’t remember anyone else being there. All this still seemed like the same day that I went to the hospital. I thought they were just admitting me and putting me in a room.  I didn’t realize I had had surgery again. I was confused though because when they rolled me into the room, my mom and my brother Robby was there. The first thing I remember seeing was Robby playing with the nurse’s stethoscope. That was Robby alright! The nurse was one of our dear friends from our church. It seemed so noisy for a hospital. I couldn’t figure out what in the world was going on. I saw my mom change the date on the calendar on the wall. It showed April 13^th. I don’t think I was talking to anyone. I was looking around and trying to get my head straight about everything. There was someone in a bed beside me, I couldn’t see her, who was yelling at everyone that came into the room. Man, she was getting on my nerves. I wanted her to shut up so bad. I couldn’t sleep or rest for her yelling. I wondered why no one quieted her down. The next thing I knew, I was in a private room. I don’t remember being moved. I knew now that I had had surgery again but I didn’t know why. I don’t think I talked very much. I didn’t have enough energy or breath to carry on a conversation.