Challenges, Blessings, Support Network
"We went to bed that night [Thursday] and we did not sleep very well. It was going to be fast Sunday, September 1stwas the day I was diagnosed, it was going to be fast Sunday that Sunday so we were starting to call family and letting them know they needed to please fast and pray for me I’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 46 years old, I had just had my birthday, Kylie was four years old it was 13 days to her fifth birthday she was going to be starting school in just a few days. So anyways did not sleep well that night got up the next morning I had a little job that was going to be starting that year, I was going to be working yard duty over at Mountain View, Kylie was going to be a late friend and so that worked out perfectly with me going over doing yard duty and it was just a little something I could do it was going to be a couple of days a week. That way I could kind of get my foot in the door, I was going to be – you know I’d have all my kids at school for just a little while and I thought that would be a nice outlet for me. My visiting teachers Janae Parkin and Alison Lambson were going to be working yard duty with me.
"I got myself composed and went into the meeting – some of our family and some of our extended family knew what had happened – and so we went in and went through the meeting and I was holding it together pretty good – pretty well I should say and Julie Cashman was the person in charge and she said – I said, “How many days do you have me working?” “Four I hope that’s okay”. And we talked about different things and what our assignments would be and how it was going to work. There was Jane Pezzola and Alison Lambson and there was Janae and Julie and maybe one other person was in the meeting. And I said, “well, I hate to drop this bombshell but I kind of need to let you know what is going on in my life. I found out yesterday that I have cancer.” And then there was this stunned gasp and this shock in the room.
"I know Janae and Alison both were a little teary eyed and the principal and we were all just in shock. I said, “I have no idea what’s going on, I’m going down to a meeting right now my husband will pick me up in a minute going down to a meeting at Kaiser to find out what’s going on.” I have no idea how its going to work out, but I’d like to do yard duty.” They said, “Okay. We’re going to work around your schedule whatever we need to do.” You know it’s kind of funny how things work out. That was like the best thing that could have happened. I had that little yard duty thing my little job there. I would go stand in the sunlight watch the kids run around and I would chat with Janae and Alison they were my visiting teachers and they would ask me, “Lisa how are you doing?” And they meant it and they would listen and of course we had lots of interruptions with kids coming up to us. Sometimes we were spread out on the playground and we couldn’t talk a whole lot but just those amazing sisters that everyday would say, “What’s going on now? How are you feeling, how’s that affecting you?” And they really wanted to know they weren’t just saying it to be nice to me. They really wanted to know they really cared about me. And they were concerned about how this was affecting me, how this was affecting my family, how I was feeling, what my energy was like, they were like ahhh, they were amazing, it was just awesome. I’m trying to think if Linda Ann , I think Linda Ann might have been working yard duty that year? I don’t remember it’s all a blur but anyways that was like the best thing.
"We went after that meeting there – and I asked Mrs. Demount if she could just let the staff all know that this is what’s going on and she of course she’d let everybody know. And oh my goodness the goodness and outpouring of love from the staff at Mountain View lots of hugs lots of concern. What can we do to help?
"Kylie had been assigned Mrs. Gately that year and Mrs. Gately had been on family leave the year before because her husband Tony had been diagnosed with cancer the year before and he died in April – I think it was right around the Spring Break – March or April of that year. But I remember going to the viewing going to the funeral and she said, “I’m going to be back.” And I said, “Good, I’m going to need you because I have a kindergartener.” And how thankful I was even though I’m sure it was hard for her to have somebody with cancer running around when her husband had just died of cancer. But she was like the best support for Kylie, just happy and cheerful and positive and I knew when she asked how I was doing she really wanted to know and she knew what going through chemo was like, she knew just because of her experiences with her husband.
"And so that was a huge blessing and Gale Westover was Eric’s teacher that year – What a blessing! He knew what I was going through and was very supportive and helpful. So we went to the meeting with the breast care coordinators by the time we were done I asked Ralph Are you going back to work? He says, “I don’t think I can. I’m just emotionally drained I can’t deal with this.” And we both felt that way, so we came home had lunch we – I ate chocolate we played with the kids, it was the last little bit of summer. We talked to the kids a little about what was going on but the treatment that was prescribed – When you have inflammatory breast cancer – it is the whole breast that is the tumor. So what you have to do first is you have to go through chemo first - normally the treatments you do a different rotation, you do surgery first and then you do the chemo. But in this case the chemo first to shrink the tumor to try and control it as much as possible. So I would be doing chemo first."
"I got myself composed and went into the meeting – some of our family and some of our extended family knew what had happened – and so we went in and went through the meeting and I was holding it together pretty good – pretty well I should say and Julie Cashman was the person in charge and she said – I said, “How many days do you have me working?” “Four I hope that’s okay”. And we talked about different things and what our assignments would be and how it was going to work. There was Jane Pezzola and Alison Lambson and there was Janae and Julie and maybe one other person was in the meeting. And I said, “well, I hate to drop this bombshell but I kind of need to let you know what is going on in my life. I found out yesterday that I have cancer.” And then there was this stunned gasp and this shock in the room.
"I know Janae and Alison both were a little teary eyed and the principal and we were all just in shock. I said, “I have no idea what’s going on, I’m going down to a meeting right now my husband will pick me up in a minute going down to a meeting at Kaiser to find out what’s going on.” I have no idea how its going to work out, but I’d like to do yard duty.” They said, “Okay. We’re going to work around your schedule whatever we need to do.” You know it’s kind of funny how things work out. That was like the best thing that could have happened. I had that little yard duty thing my little job there. I would go stand in the sunlight watch the kids run around and I would chat with Janae and Alison they were my visiting teachers and they would ask me, “Lisa how are you doing?” And they meant it and they would listen and of course we had lots of interruptions with kids coming up to us. Sometimes we were spread out on the playground and we couldn’t talk a whole lot but just those amazing sisters that everyday would say, “What’s going on now? How are you feeling, how’s that affecting you?” And they really wanted to know they weren’t just saying it to be nice to me. They really wanted to know they really cared about me. And they were concerned about how this was affecting me, how this was affecting my family, how I was feeling, what my energy was like, they were like ahhh, they were amazing, it was just awesome. I’m trying to think if Linda Ann , I think Linda Ann might have been working yard duty that year? I don’t remember it’s all a blur but anyways that was like the best thing.
"We went after that meeting there – and I asked Mrs. Demount if she could just let the staff all know that this is what’s going on and she of course she’d let everybody know. And oh my goodness the goodness and outpouring of love from the staff at Mountain View lots of hugs lots of concern. What can we do to help?
"Kylie had been assigned Mrs. Gately that year and Mrs. Gately had been on family leave the year before because her husband Tony had been diagnosed with cancer the year before and he died in April – I think it was right around the Spring Break – March or April of that year. But I remember going to the viewing going to the funeral and she said, “I’m going to be back.” And I said, “Good, I’m going to need you because I have a kindergartener.” And how thankful I was even though I’m sure it was hard for her to have somebody with cancer running around when her husband had just died of cancer. But she was like the best support for Kylie, just happy and cheerful and positive and I knew when she asked how I was doing she really wanted to know and she knew what going through chemo was like, she knew just because of her experiences with her husband.
"And so that was a huge blessing and Gale Westover was Eric’s teacher that year – What a blessing! He knew what I was going through and was very supportive and helpful. So we went to the meeting with the breast care coordinators by the time we were done I asked Ralph Are you going back to work? He says, “I don’t think I can. I’m just emotionally drained I can’t deal with this.” And we both felt that way, so we came home had lunch we – I ate chocolate we played with the kids, it was the last little bit of summer. We talked to the kids a little about what was going on but the treatment that was prescribed – When you have inflammatory breast cancer – it is the whole breast that is the tumor. So what you have to do first is you have to go through chemo first - normally the treatments you do a different rotation, you do surgery first and then you do the chemo. But in this case the chemo first to shrink the tumor to try and control it as much as possible. So I would be doing chemo first."
Comments
Post a Comment