When you get off the elevator on the second floor of the St. Jude Cancer Center in Fullerton, California you can only go in two directions. If you turn to the right you will enter the doors of the Women’s Center where women go for annual checkups, mammograms and other procedures. However, if you turn left, the hallway leads to the Infusion Center where patients receive chemotherapy to treat their cancer.
Cancer became part of our family in 2006 when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. We knew other people who had cancer but now it had entered our lives. We entered a new world with a new vocabulary of words and terms unfamiliar to us. We met doctors, nurses and staff who assured us that we were not alone. Many other patients had successfully gone through cancer treatment and survived.
The months following her diagnosis included surgery, reconstruction, and chemotherapy. She took a leave of absence from her teaching job. She lost her hair and experienced side effects from the chemotherapy.
Shortly after my wife’s diagnosis a friend gave me a book that helped me better understand this journey. Breast Cancer Husband by Marc Silver is about his wife’s journey. He included interviews with doctors, patients and spouses. It was extremely helpful starting with the size and stage of the cancer to treatment options and much more. I encourage every couple dealing with Breast Cancer to buy this book.
In the following years there have been many ups and downs. The cancer returned in 2011 requiring more surgery and chemotherapy plus radiation. In 2016 the breast cancer metastasized to other organs including her bones and adrenal gland. Cancer activity increased again in 2020. Her doctor used newly developed medicines and treatments that did not exist when her journey began fifteen years ago. Jeanne has led a support group in our home for many years to encourage men and women dealing with various types of cancer. Let me encourage you to get help if cancer enters your home. Find a good church. Join a support group. Be willing to share your story with others. Pray for those who are hurting and look for ways to help them. You will be glad you did and they will too. (continued)
You can read more about our cancer journey in the next post. And you can read more stories and articles in the author’s book Let Me Encourage You which contains 365 stories and articles – one for every day of the year. You can order a copy at markh@efreedb.org. The price is only $20 plus postage.
Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper 