Thursday, November 02, 2006

The path to chemo

Anna met with the surgeon Monday. The pathology reports from the mastectomy came in, and of the twenty-something lymph nodes that were removed, only three were affected. The tumor itself measured 6 centimeters. This puts here at around stage three, I believe. She WILL have to undergo radiation treatments as well. Not the best news possible, but certainly not the worst.
She will have the port-a-cath inserted on the 7th, then begin chemo on the 14th of this month. She's mentioned that she's scared, but I'll tell you, she sure has a strong exterior. I think that's the only thing keeping me sane throughout all of this.
We went to Gilda's Club last night for a signup orientation. For those of you who may not know, Gilda's Club was the idea of Gilda Radner, who died of cancer. It was formally founded by her husband, Gene Wilder, and Gilda's psychotherapist. Here's a link to their page. It's a wonderful organization, all volunteer, who coordinate support group meetings, social funtions, and wellness classes for those battling cancer and their families, friends, and other supporters. We sat in a circle with a few other new registrants, all with different forms of cancer. Everyone told their personal story, and rarely was there a dry eye. One woman, a prominent former head of the OR at the University of Washington, mentioned her fear of going through chemo. I think that hit Anna pretty hard. A person of long medical background frightened of chemo! How should she feel then?
The Seattle branch of Gilda's Club is in a beautiful converted house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. We toured the facility, and were blown away. "This is the 'one day at a time' room. If you're in-between doctor appointments and want to relax or sleep for a while, just stop in." "This is the kitchen. Usually there's food out on the counter or in the refridgerator. Help yourself if you need lunch, or just a snack. It's free." "This is 'Noogieville.' It where all the kids can hang out and play with toys." "This is the arts room. If you're feeling artistic, stop on in and used any of (the hundreds) of items we have. It's also where we have professional jewelry, knitting, painting, and other professionals volunteer their time to teach workshops." I should make a shirt that says, "My wife got cancer, and I learned to cross-stitch."
I mentioned the club's social events. Dances, karaoke, concerts, bingo night, and many other fun "mixers" to help strengthen your support group and network to meet new friends. It's going to be a great thing for us.
In other news, my boss set up a Paypal account (I believe you just search for Anna Warren Schumacher at www.paypal.com, and you can donate). Although it's been a test of humility for both of us, the monetary donations and offers of food and babysitting have been very, very appreciated. I can't believe how many people out there have dropped everything and run to help us out. Were are truly blessed.

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