Unexpected Blessings

At the end of last year (2009), a week before Thanksgiving to be exact, I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. I am only 36 and felt fine so this came as a big shock to me. My first thought was that I hoped I would live to see my daughters grow up. The doctors all said that if they had to choose a cancer, this would be the one. It's slow growing and responds well to treatment. My thyroid had to be removed so I met with Dr. Balserak to schedule the surgery. He assured me that I would live long enough to see my grandchildren. He's probably THE Dr. to go to for this particular surgery. I had the thyroidectomy in mid December and recovered over the Christmas holiday. The Pantano ward and my family all fasted for me. The surgery went fine, however, the Doc discovered that the cancer was further along than he thought. The cancer had spread to at least 8 lymph nodes, which he also removed with my thyroid. It was now definite that I would need radioactive iodine treatment.

In preparing for the radiation treatment, I had to go on a special low-iodine, low sodium diet. I also could not take any thyroid replacement hormones. I became very hypothyroid and was extremely fatigued and depressed. My body felt sluggish and sore and I had what is known as "brain fog" where you just can't think clearly. Bill's company decided to send him to England and Wales for two weeks during this time. The Pantano Ward Relief Society came to the rescue. For those two weeks while Bill was gone, meals were brought in. Sister Walker and Sister Hannah helped me prepare special meals to freeze for when I became too tired to cook. Sister Black and Becky Thies came and helped Savanna with her homework. They cleaned my house and helped fold laundry. Sister Chapman brought me special homemade bread that conformed to my diet. The Primary President, Megan Lotti, came a couple times to put the girls to bed. She read stories to them and sang to them. I was very humbled and grateful for this service since I have not been able to sing to them since the surgery. I also had friends and a neighbor watch my girls so I could nap during the day. Instead of feeling depressed because I had cancer, I felt loved by Heavenly Father and blessed because of all the love and service that was given to me. Christi drove from Yuma to Tucson to pick me up and take me to Grandma Johnson's funeral in Phoenix because I was feeling to tired to drive myself, then mother drove me back to Tucson, dropped me off, and drove back home to Mesa. I'm sure it was a long trip for both of them, and I really appreciate this service.

When it came time for the radiation therapy, I was very nervous about being around my family and harming them. I had been told by my endocrinologist, Dr. Barsony, that hospitals no longer let people stay after being given radiation and that I should just get a hotel room. That didn't sound ethical because I would still be exposing people to radiation. Unexpectedly, and without my asking them, the Nuclear Medicine department decided that I should stay in the hopital while I recovered from the radiation. The nurses were even surprised and told me this was very rare that a person was allowed to stay. Once again, Heavenly Father was looking out for me. I had no ill effects from the radiation therapy (it was just one pill), and stayed in the hospital for three days. The nurses were not supposed to stay in my room for more than ten minutes at a time and there was a line that they had to stand behind to limit their exposure to the radiation in me. I read lots of books and watched movies on my portable DVD player. It was sort of like a mini vacation. When I went home on Sunday, Bill had to get the girls out of the house and take them to his parents. The hospital had recommended that our daughters not be around me for three more days. We had planned for our daughters to spend the night at Aunt Carrie and Uncle Dee's house, however, Brooke was sent home from school the next day with a fever. Bill was also supposed to travel to Washington D.C. that same day but his flight was cancelled due to the snow storm they had there. Once again, a small miracle, because I didn't know how I was supposed to take care of Brooke and not expose her to radiation. Bill ended up taking three days off of work to take care of Brooke and I.

Currently, I'm feeling OK. I wonder if I will ever regain my singing voice. I still have to take naps in the afternoon, but I have a wonderful friend, Cindy Carver, who is living with us and helps babysit kids and clean house for me. We are also helping her out too as she was homeless before I met her. We met at church and she is my visiting teaching companion. I was impressed by her because she told me that just because she was homeless didn't mean she couldn't visit teach. As I got to know her better, I felt prompted to invite her to stay with us until she could get on her own feet. Think of the movie "Pursuit of Happiness". This has been an adventure but I am confident that Heavenly Father will continue to bless us.