GUEST BLOG: Janet Freeman on Gratitude and Stewardship
I was awed and inspired by how fully my friend lived the almost-five years between her diagnosis with Stage 4 ovarian cancer and her death last week. I am reminded that a terminal diagnosis does not mean we stop living -- it is an invitation to make every moment count, and thereby enrich not only the life of the patient but those around her. Here is author and lung cancer patient Janet Freeman-Daily on her own experience of hope, illness, and the zest of being alive.
I’m grateful to be here. Actually, I’m grateful to be anywhere. I’m grateful to be alive. The fact that I’m alive is a modern-day medical miracle.
In May of 2011, after a few months of a persistent cough, I was
diagnosed with pneumonia caused by advanced lung cancer. No, I never
smoked anything except a salmon. Five months after diagnosis, despite
chemo and radiation, the cancer spread outside my chest and I was given
at most two years to live. A year later, after more treatment and
another recurrence, I learned my cancer had a rare mutation. Last
October, I found a clinical trial that could treat that mutation with an
experimental pill, and I flew to Denver to get it. In January, I
achieved the dream of all metastatic cancer patients: No Evidence of
Disease. My cancer is no longer detectable.
I am overwhelmingly grateful for everything and everyone that has
brought me to this state of grace: medical science that discovered new
ways to treat my condition, insurance that paid for most of my care,
family and friends who supported me, a knowledgeable online lung cancer
community, and all the prayers and good wishes lifting me up throughout
my cancer journey. Thank you. I am truly blessed.
I am not cured. The tri
al drug only suppresses my cancer, and I
have some permanent side effects. I’ll be in treatment for the rest of
my days. Clinical trials will hopefully keep me feeling comfortable
and capable for many months – even years. I am satisfied with living
however long I might have.
Being given a second chance at life tends to give one a different
perspective. Colors are brighter. A warm breeze rustling the trees
makes the whole day worthwhile. Time spent with family and friends
becomes precious.
A second chance at life also makes one introspective. Why was I
spared when others died? Why does my mutation have an effective
treatment when others don’t? Why am I able to see one of the best lung
cancer doctors in the world when many patients can’t afford proper
treatment?
Why am I still here? What purpose does the universe have for me?
Part of the answer to why I’m still here is, I am blessed with gifts
that help me survive my cancer journey. I’m able to understand the
medical science and my treatment. I’m able to explain what I’ve
learned. And I’m able to advocate for myself with healthcare providers.
Yet I am just a steward of these gifts that were bestowed on me.
Understanding my gifts has led me to a new purpose: I am here to help
other lung cancer patients. I strongly feel this is my calling in the
time I have left.
Lung cancer has a stigma attached to it. Few people know that 80% of
those newly diagnosed with lung cancer are nonsmokers or never
smokers. There is more to lung cancer than just smoking. Yet we are
the lepers of the cancer community.
For this reason, some are ashamed to admit they have lung cancer.
Most don’t know about the new treatments like the one I’m taking–even
some doctors don’t know. Patients don’t know where to turn for answers.
Lung cancer patients need more than compassion. They need information. They need HOPE.
After considerable thought, I decided the best way to use my gifts
was to go public about my lung cancer. At first, I only shared my story
online with friends and lung cancer communities. Eventually I started
blogging (which is essentially a journal open to the world on the
Internet) and began speaking publicly about my cancer.
Going public with my lung cancer experience has already had an
impact. As I’d hoped, it shows patients that people can live with
metastatic lung cancer, and encourages them to ask questions about their
treatment.
But going public has also brought completely unexpected benefits. It
helps families understand what their loved ones who have lung cancer are
experiencing. It gives hospital chaplains insight into their patients’
needs and feelings. It demonstrates to doctors that patients can be
partners in their own care. It reveals to researchers how their work
makes a difference in the lives of real patients.
In addition, I’ve realized a personal health benefit in sharing the
gifts I was given to steward. Having a purpose gets me through the
tougher parts of cancer treatment. It won’t heal my cancer, but it does
help me live a healthier, happier life.
And it all started with being grateful that I’m alive.
~o0o~
About herself, Janet says: "I’ve made a career as a “technical translator” of
sorts: I research a
scientific or engineering subject, describe it to others in less
technical terms, and help them understand how this new gizmo could
benefit them. I applied my engineering degrees (MIT SBME 1978, Caltech
Aeronautics MS 1984 and Engineer 1986) to a career in aerospace systems
engineering for two decades, interacting with customers, developing new
products and writing proposals. I spent over 12 years caring for
elderly family members who had dementia. My adult son, who I adopted
when he was three, is on the autism spectrum. I now write science
articles and science fiction, sometimes under the pen name “Janet
Freeman,” and speak on science panels at science fiction conventions,
where I’m told I “give good science.”
Her blog is here.http://grayconnections.wordpress.com/
I’m grateful to be here. Actually, I’m grateful to be anywhere. I’m grateful to be alive. The fact that I’m alive is a modern-day medical miracle.
In May of 2011, after a few months of a persistent cough, I was
diagnosed with pneumonia caused by advanced lung cancer. No, I never
smoked anything except a salmon. Five months after diagnosis, despite
chemo and radiation, the cancer spread outside my chest and I was given
at most two years to live. A year later, after more treatment and
another recurrence, I learned my cancer had a rare mutation. Last
October, I found a clinical trial that could treat that mutation with an
experimental pill, and I flew to Denver to get it. In January, I
achieved the dream of all metastatic cancer patients: No Evidence of
Disease. My cancer is no longer detectable.
I am overwhelmingly grateful for everything and everyone that has
brought me to this state of grace: medical science that discovered new
ways to treat my condition, insurance that paid for most of my care,
family and friends who supported me, a knowledgeable online lung cancer
community, and all the prayers and good wishes lifting me up throughout
my cancer journey. Thank you. I am truly blessed.
I am not cured. The tri
al drug only suppresses my cancer, and I
have some permanent side effects. I’ll be in treatment for the rest of
my days. Clinical trials will hopefully keep me feeling comfortable
and capable for many months – even years. I am satisfied with living
however long I might have.
Being given a second chance at life tends to give one a different
perspective. Colors are brighter. A warm breeze rustling the trees
makes the whole day worthwhile. Time spent with family and friends
becomes precious.
A second chance at life also makes one introspective. Why was I
spared when others died? Why does my mutation have an effective
treatment when others don’t? Why am I able to see one of the best lung
cancer doctors in the world when many patients can’t afford proper
treatment?
Why am I still here? What purpose does the universe have for me?
Part of the answer to why I’m still here is, I am blessed with gifts
that help me survive my cancer journey. I’m able to understand the
medical science and my treatment. I’m able to explain what I’ve
learned. And I’m able to advocate for myself with healthcare providers.
Yet I am just a steward of these gifts that were bestowed on me.
Understanding my gifts has led me to a new purpose: I am here to help
other lung cancer patients. I strongly feel this is my calling in the
time I have left.
Lung cancer has a stigma attached to it. Few people know that 80% of
those newly diagnosed with lung cancer are nonsmokers or never
smokers. There is more to lung cancer than just smoking. Yet we are
the lepers of the cancer community.
For this reason, some are ashamed to admit they have lung cancer.
Most don’t know about the new treatments like the one I’m taking–even
some doctors don’t know. Patients don’t know where to turn for answers.
Lung cancer patients need more than compassion. They need information. They need HOPE.
After considerable thought, I decided the best way to use my gifts
was to go public about my lung cancer. At first, I only shared my story
online with friends and lung cancer communities. Eventually I started
blogging (which is essentially a journal open to the world on the
Internet) and began speaking publicly about my cancer.
Going public with my lung cancer experience has already had an
impact. As I’d hoped, it shows patients that people can live with
metastatic lung cancer, and encourages them to ask questions about their
treatment.
But going public has also brought completely unexpected benefits. It
helps families understand what their loved ones who have lung cancer are
experiencing. It gives hospital chaplains insight into their patients’
needs and feelings. It demonstrates to doctors that patients can be
partners in their own care. It reveals to researchers how their work
makes a difference in the lives of real patients.
In addition, I’ve realized a personal health benefit in sharing the
gifts I was given to steward. Having a purpose gets me through the
tougher parts of cancer treatment. It won’t heal my cancer, but it does
help me live a healthier, happier life.
And it all started with being grateful that I’m alive.
~o0o~
About herself, Janet says: "I’ve made a career as a “technical translator” of
sorts: I research a
scientific or engineering subject, describe it to others in less
technical terms, and help them understand how this new gizmo could
benefit them. I applied my engineering degrees (MIT SBME 1978, Caltech
Aeronautics MS 1984 and Engineer 1986) to a career in aerospace systems
engineering for two decades, interacting with customers, developing new
products and writing proposals. I spent over 12 years caring for
elderly family members who had dementia. My adult son, who I adopted
when he was three, is on the autism spectrum. I now write science
articles and science fiction, sometimes under the pen name “Janet
Freeman,” and speak on science panels at science fiction conventions,
where I’m told I “give good science.”
Her blog is here.http://grayconnections.wordpress.com/
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