Prostate Cancer

A third option, surveillance, is recommended by doctors for some patients, particularly those who are older or have other medical conditions that are likely to compromise their health. These patients are followed with regular examinations. If there is evidence of cancer growth, active treatment may be recommended.

My Story Part 3

I was diagnosed with stage III uterine cancer, which meant that my cancer had spread outside the uterus to a few of the lymph nodes. The doctor told the chaplain and my friends that I only had a 20% chance of surviving the surgery. Today I believe my Higher Power had plans for me, and that's why I'm here today.

I was in the hospital for a week. It was Valentine's Day 1993 that I got out of the hospital. It was also one of the worse winters Cleveland had seen. When I got home I wasn't allowed to leave the house until my next appointment with my doctor in two weeks. It nearly drove me crazy; my neighbor even had to come over to take my chihuahua out daily. It really wasn't too bad because I had friends that fought their way through the snow to bring groceries and cheer me up.

As I look back now, the surgery was the easy part. It was my emotions that had to heal, and that would be the hardest part of my journey at least for me. I now had to deal with the inadequacies of being only half a woman. I grew up believing I was suppose to get married and have children. And now I couldn't have children, so what man would want me? With a lot of counseling and sharing with friends (both male and female), I accepted what was meant to be. Believe me, it didn't come overnight; acceptance is a hard thing at times. Even today at times I still get an ache in my heart when I see a baby or toddler.

If you've never had children and have to have a hysterectomy because of cancer, remember this part of my story. Don't believe or let others tell you that you are less then you are because of the inability to have children. Today I know I had to have the surgery that took away my ability to have children. I had to give up bringing life into this world to

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