Keeping Spirits High
Published Thursday, December 8, 2022
By Caitlund Davidson, Health Promotion and Communications Planner
Maureen is a fun-spirited individual who is always trying to put a smile on people’s faces. She takes on life with a positive attitude and attempts to find humor in every situation, even while battling cancer.
During the winter of 2018 Maureen was coughing a lot. She went to the walk-in clinic to get checked by a doctor and was sent for an x-ray. She had an appointment with her family physician to discuss the results. “I don’t like to waste my doctor’s time, so I went to my appointment with a list of things to discuss with her. She told me to put away my list and then told me I had lung cancer. I felt a tear roll down my cheek, my doctor handed me a Kleenex. I wiped the tear away and we moved on to discuss my next steps.”
Maureen was set up with a health care team which included a surgeon, oncologist, radiologist, dietician, social worker, and financial advisor. She had numerous tests done to examine the progression of her lung cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments began with the goal to shrink the tumor enough to have it surgically removed.
Maureen had her surgery on July 11. In the operating room she met the surgical team. She told them she would like to sing them a song. She entertained them with the song “Wake me up when it’s all over”.
During her surgery her left lung was removed entirely. While that had not been in the initial plan, Maureen was ready to celebrate. She thanked her surgeon for saving her life.
Fast forward to November of 2021, Maureen began having focal seizures. After an appointment with her physician and scans, she got a call on December 23. Her physician told her that her lung cancer had metastasized to her brain. Immediately after the holiday, the tests began. An appointment with the neurosurgeon determined that it was not safe to operate as it would cause paralysis on the right side of her body. So Maureen chose to have radiation therapy to her brain.
A mold was made of her head to create a mask that would help to hold her head still during radiation sessions. Maureen opted to bring her mask home to save as a memento of her experience.
To this day, Maureen continues to undergo treatments and testing. Since April of 2022, every 28 days she goes to the Cancer Centre where she has immunotherapy. She has now been seizure free for six months.
Maureen shared some insights on her cancer journey. “Always have hope. We have incredible health care workers and resources available to us here in Thunder Bay. I am grateful for my family and friend’s support. I am thankful for all the wonderful, dedicated health care workers who have been with me these past four years. They have made my life so much better.
“Never give up,” she mused. “A positive attitude and a wicked sense of humor goes a long way!”
If you are looking for cancer-related resources, a good place to start is the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Cancer Centre website at https://tbrhsc.net/programs-services/regional-cancer-care/.