Medical Memoir
Through a humorous lens, I took a dramatic journey of survival through three life threatening cancers (pancreatic, t-cell lymphoma, and leukemia), and their treatments (chemo, radiation, and bone marrow transplant), plus sepsis and other conditions from age 56 to my present age of 80. Everlasting Rose provides you with hope and disease prevention tools and techniques to overcome the odds. With all these conditions it was determined that I had a 1 in 1,000 chance of survival. My mission is to help you with your journey.
Everlasting Rose is a journey of my survival through several catastrophic health events. Although this material is “deadly” serious, I have dotted it with some humor along the way to create a more reader-friendly experience. My disease journey takes place from age 56 to my present age of 80. It is about my survival through pancreatic cancer, t-cell lymphoma, and leukemia, along with their treatments, which are often worse than the disease, plus sepsis, a car crash, and other “minor inconveniences.” In Chapter Six, Sepsis, the Intensive Care Unit doctor told my husband to write my obituary. The priest gave me the last rites. Then, the attorney was called to reverse my Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR). Throughout my book, hints of how I prevailed are revealed, culminating with a section on hope, disease prevention, and lessons learned.
My son, David, thought it would be interesting to calculate my chance of survival from my top six conditions. Using the 5-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, stem cell transplant, systemic sepsis, chronic leukemia, and immune deficiency, a standardized formula was used to merge these six independent events. The calculated findings resulted in my probability of survival being approximately 0.1% or 1 in 1,000.
Thankfully, I’m still here to bring my experiences to others, which can offer them a roadmap of hope. My message to all who travel with me on my journey is “stay hopeful and never give up.”
About the Author
In the beginning I was a Catholic Italian girl, growing up in a sheltered Italian community and in the end, I had traveled extensively in the United States and Europe. My education as a nurse with a Bachelor’s and Masters afforded me opportunities to experience many aspects of health care: teaching, administration, sales, and consulting. However, at age 56 I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and my long tortuous journey through disease after disease began. During these years I endured much pain, suffering and anxiety. However, I always stayed positive, even joyful and hopeful for the next day. I am now 80 and would like to share my unbelievable survival story with you.
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