Dear Lit Loves,
Lord. Bless. National Geographic Partners, LLC. They along with a writer by the name of Mary Elizabeth Williams just published the outstanding memoir entitled A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science, and Cancer. I pre-ordered the book as I was so impressed that there actually exists a literary agent, an editor and a publisher who all invested in a book about one woman's journey with stage 4 melanoma. One too many times I've heard a literary agent (mostly), but occasionally an editor tell me, "Well, we can't sell a manuscript that has any kind of cancer story in it because it's considered a misery memoir." God's honest truth. Well, I would think to myself, one day when some form of cancer grabs that agent or editor or someone they love by the throat and drop-kicks them in the ring for the battle of their life, maybe they will get a clue about how important this subject is. Because if you think for one foolish minute that just because no one in your family has ever had a cancer diagnosis that it won't happen to you, GET REAL. Happens each day.
This particular book relates Mary Elizabeth's recognition of melanoma which was initially located on her scalp. She's a red head with fair skin just like myself. Gals like us can't be too careful when it comes to skin cancer. Mary Elizabeth's scalp was biopsied and the pathology report revealed stage 2 melanoma. She had surgery to remove a portion of her scalp/head. Fortunately, her husband and two girls helped her keep the area clean and sanitized once she was released from the hospital following surgery. Then there comes an extended family tragedy and also, one of Mary Elizabeth's friends gets a cancer diagnosis as well so you see how they are both struggling with cancer at the same time, but with very, very different outcomes. When Mary Elizabeth returns to the hospital for her rechecks on the melanoma, her scans show nodules in the lungs and that's when she learns that she now has stage 4 melanoma....what I call "the holy shit of cancer diagnoses". How do I know? I've had basal cell carcinoma myself and my dad died last year around this time of a rare lymphoma. And oh yes, my mom survived breast cancer. My uncle died of leukemia upon returning from Vietnam. You could say I've had a bit of experience with the big "C".
Fortunately, Mary Elizabeth gets into a clinical trial of utilizing immunotherapy to harness the power of the immune system to fight melanoma. Usually this type of stage 4 melanoma diagnosis also comes with the news that you only have months to live; not years, folks. Mary Elizabeth begins immunotherapy treatment in a clinical trial of a drug now known as Yervoy. How does it work? Well, we all are usually blessed with T Cells in our bodies that help fight off infectious invaders including cancer. Sometimes those T Cells have a protein on them that prevent the T Cells from recognizing a cell as cancerous. Yervoy deactivates the protein on T Cells preventing our own immune system from recognizing and killing cancers. Once that protein's power is disengaged, our T Cells can recognize and kill cancerous cells invading our body. And the nice thing about our immune system is that it has a great memory so it continues to recognize cancer cells and kill them. This drug doesn't work for everyone with melanoma though, but for Mary Elizabeth, it did. The nodules in her lungs and one that appears under the skin on her back disappear. Unfortunately, her friend's cancer is not able to be successfully treated and she is not able to gain access to a clinical trial. What I think is important for readers to take away from this book is the following: the six actions that enabled Mary Elizabeth to have an opportunity to survive an often vicious and fatal cancer. Here are those actions:
1) She recognized that there was something seriously wrong. There was a bare spot on her scalp. It was also tender. She knew because of her fair skin she was more susceptible to skin cancer. And she didn't delay seeking an answer for what was wrong; she went and found a surgeon who took her seriously, biopsied the scalp area, found the cancer, and operated to remove it. If you listen to your body I promise it will tell you when something is wrong with it. If you go see a doctor and he or she tells you, oh it's just early menopause or stress, then get a second or third opinion. It could save your life. Doctors can be hired and fired. You do not have to accept substandard medical care. If you don't think a doctor is taking your medical issues seriously; get another opinion.
2) When Mary Elizabeth selected a doctor/surgeon she went to one of the best cancer facilities in the United States: Memorial Sloan Kettering. She made sure she had a darn good and experienced surgeon. If you get diagnosed with cancer you should get the best doctor too because it's your life on the line. Do research, ask for patient references, take a another person with you to question the doctor, and do whatever it takes to ensure you are getting a well-qualified, experienced surgeon and oncologist. If at any time you sense red flags in terms of a doctor's competence, experience, character, or choice of treatment, it's time to find another specialist. Pronto.
3) Mary Elizabeth was open to volunteering for a clinical trial and she accepted the opportunity to participate in it. And the drug that was being tested saved her life. So many people get a cancer diagnosis and just give up, pack it in, and aren't willing to undergo the hassles and constant evaluations that are a part of a new drug trial. If people hadn't participated in clinical trials of stem cell transplants, my dad would not have had the opportunity to participate in one that would add five additional years to his life. So thank Jesus for people brave enough to volunteer for clinical trials of new drugs.
4) Mary Elizabeth would not accept being examined any further by a substitute oncologist who treated her as if she were a lab specimen. On one visit Mary Elizabeth's regular oncologist is absent and she sees another specialist who is taking his place for the day. The doc walked in with his residents and treated Mary Elizabeth as if she were a tumor and not a human being. On her way out of the hospital, she informed the folks at the front desk that she never, ever wanted to be seen by that doctor again. Bravo. Speak up if a doctor acts or behaves in an unprofessional or anal-retentive fashion.
5) Get regular rechecks. Honestly folks, an oncologist or whoever is treating your cancer should always be checking your blood levels and scanning areas of your body where cancer may surface. And it should be happening quite often and on a timely schedule. I once lost a friend because her oncologist never bothered to inform her that once her cancer went into remission, she needed to come back every three to six months for CT and PET scans to ensure the cancer wasn't trying to resurface. Better to find cancer early rather than late.
6) Mary Elizabeth had a support system in terms of her husband, her daughters, her mother-in-law, friends, colleagues and she and her family all went to weekly sessions of a support group called Gilda's club. Don't suffer alone and in silence. Help and assistance is out there, but you've got to seek it out and you've got to accept it, okay?
This is a dynamite book. Everyone should read it. I know I'll be recommending it. And I hope someday my book regarding my own journey and my dad's journey will touch lives as well. Till my next read.....
Grace
(Amy)
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