Women

Part 14: Epilogue

Looking out at the world is a little different after a cancer diagnosis. It reminds me of my son, who, when he was very young, always used to want me to sit in the bathroom with him while he did his business. I found this cute and usually enjoyed our toilet visits, but sometimes it wasn’t welcome…

Part 13: Not Bad — Just Older, Chemo 6

On the morning of my last chemo, Bruce showed me what he had bought as a gift for Dr. H and my nurse: two double magnums of red wine and two boxes of chocolates. I said, “They work in a cancer centre. They’re probably tee-totalling sugar-free vegans.” I meant it…

Part 11: Going on a Bear Hunt, Chemo 4

Preparing for my fist chemo of the New Year, I was holding a hot water bottle in the crook of my arm, warming up my veins so they would be easier to access. The kids were upstairs getting dressed for school, and Bruce was pottering around the kitchen. I was…

Part 8: Shampoo and Tampons, Chemo 1

My last meal was Saturday dinner. Tuesday morning I packed my chemo bag. At the chemo centre, they took blood from my finger to measure my white blood cells, red blood cells, leukocytes and iron (and about 20 other things) to make sure I was strong enough to go…

Part 7: Paperbags Underfoot

I had trouble eating while I was in the hospital. Being home was no different. Even half a cup of clear broth could feel like an intestinal blockage, and I made three separate phone calls to my doctors, tearfully explaining that I couldn’t eat. I felt like I was starving. The…

Part 6: I’ll Take It

Bruce and the kids landed back in Zurich on Wednesday, exactly two weeks since that fateful call in Coop and five sleeps since my surgery.

The lead surgeon, Dr. B, came to see me later that day. She announced that she came with news, and then she shared the…

Part 5: Pulp Fiction

My brother, Corey, arrived on Thursday. On Friday morning, we drove to the hospital. A hospital concierge walked us to the pre-op station and said my brother could not go in. I remembered being in this exact spot two weeks earlier, for my first surgery. At that time, I was in a great mood…

Part 4: Hubris and Delusion

Back home in Switzerland, I went alone to the appointment with the lead surgeon, Dr B. I knew that she had been Chief Physician for Gynaecological Oncology at two hospitals, which reassured me, at least on paper. I made it to her office, and she greeted me with a big smile and…

Part 2: The Strength of Ten Grinches, Plus Two

The next morning, Bruce and I packed the kids off to their last day of school before the October holidays. They were excited because we were due to fly to America the following day to visit family and friends, followed by a trip to the Kennedy…

Part 1: A Skateboarding Lesson to Remember

I got the call while I was in the local Coop supermarket, picking up a few essentials for dinner that night. It was a Wednesday in October, and I had had minor surgery the previous Friday to remove a cyst from my ovary. Thankfully, my doctors had already…