The Daily Progress 09/30/2012

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for a few weeks. When I came back, they were great! I began my chemo treatments in August through Jan. 13, 2012. My manager allowed me to work from home when needed because I was so tired, sick and weak throughout that time frame. When I lost my hair, my 20-year-old daughter cut her hair, too, to help me feel better. James says there were dark days during her fight. You just feel like throwing in the towel. The key is your support systemyour loved ones, family, friends, pastor and there are so many support groups. Even with all these people you are still going to feel totally helpless and alone many days. Dont give up. For those who have loved ones fighting cancer, James offers this advice: Just listen. Just be there, but dont overwhelm the person. And for guys who are going through it with their womenalways tell them, just let them know every day, that theyre beautiful. Tell them you love them. Guys sometimes look at it that its just hair, youre fine, but you want to hear those things. Tell them every day that you love them. Tell them every day that they look good. It sounds little, but its not. Its really making that person feel good about themselves again. James credits the regions medical resources for her quality care, but you just dont want to use those resources if you dont have to. The doctors were greatfrom the plastic surgeon to the general surgeon to the cancer doctorall the way around. The nurses and people that work there, theyre really compassionate. Even though shes through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, James still struggles with the battle. Some days I look back at my old pictures or look in the mirror and I cry because I miss me, but I thank God every day for bringing me through it and continually blessing me with my beautiful family and friends.

Elizabeth Allen, 51 Cancer Free for 3.5 Years

When the going gets tough, the tough get creative, says Allen in her book ChemoTherapy, Because laughter is the Best Medicine. She and her friend Eileen Park created the book as a way to laugh through the process, use the baldness of chemotherapy as a blank canvas and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to cancer research.

Everybodys journey is so different, thats one of the things I learned in the beginning, Allen says. Allen was 48 when she was diagnosed. Shes a wife, and mother to four children, who at the time were aged between 7 and 16. My whole fight was geared toward making their lives as normal as possible, she says. From the beginning I wanted it to be a blip on the radar some day for them. I wanted their life to be, as much as possible, like it had been the day before. Allen was diagnosed with Stage I, Grade III breast cancer. To get her predicted reoccurrence down the lowest, she opted for lumpectomy, four treatments of chemotherapy and 35 days of radiation, as well as having her ovaries removed. I had estrogen-fed cancer so we needed to stop any production of estrogen, she notes. She found the tiny lump in December 2008 and had just had a mammogram in August. She had no family history, had been taking tamoxifen for two years previous after unusual mammogram findings as well as doing digital mammograms. You can do everything right and still find it. I thought I was protecting myself and I had taken it for two years and still got the fastest-growing cancer. Allen tried to remain as positive as possible during her fightand since. I believe in clichs. I believe in the power of positive thinking. I believe there is a level of mind over matter, she notes. Its an important place to be when youre a parent and you have a challenge because [the kids] are watching you, and how you deal with it is how someday theyre going to deal with things in their lives. My husband Greg was great, he helped me lead my fight. We really wanted them to see the power of positive thinking and the fact that there is some level of mind over mattertogether. She started her chemotherapy treatments in February and after her first treatment she went on spring break with her family. I skied seven days with the kids from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., she marvels. I got all my energy from them. I was just so determined to have them see me the same and to know that I could work my way through this. I think believing that I could enabled me to do it. I was never sick or down. Allen opted for a wig, and only told her close family and friends about it as a way to keep things as normal as possible. I didnt want them to score a goal and then look on the sidelines to see if I saw it and have me facing someone who was hugging me. People want to be so good and so helpful and so kind, but I really wanted to literally bring it in house and deal with it that way. However, she told her children to deal with it the way it worked for them, something she would tell anyone else going through it. If you havent been touched by cancer it is really scary, it is overwhelming,

Itsanimportantplacetobewhenyoureaparentandyouhaveachallenge because[thekids]arewatchingyou,andhowyoudealwithitishowsomeday theyregoingtodealwiththingsintheirlives,saysAllen.

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