Anne Woodward had her dream job. Working in TV information, she acquired a front-row seat to historical past. However at 46, a breast most cancers prognosis made her shift her priorities. She retired early and made specializing in her well being her full-time job.
She defied the percentages and is amongst a rising variety of longtime stage 4 most cancers survivors.
“I am in 12 months 9 of a illness that has a median survival price of three years. So I have been very lucky that the remedies have labored for me,” Anne says.
A Decade of Perception for Stage 4 Most cancers Survivors
Anne all the time saved up along with her mammograms. So even her medical doctors had been shocked when, in 2015, they discovered most cancers in her liver. The most cancers unfold there (metastasized) after beginning in her breast.
With metastatic breast most cancers, Anne is aware of there’s no remedy. However remedies have come far. She offers with fatigue, uncertainty, and lots of physique scans, blood assessments, and physician checkups. However she’s additionally had life. And he or she’s gained numerous perception on residing with metastatic most cancers.
In her personal phrases, Anne shares 10 recommendations on the best way to dwell your greatest life as a stage 4 most cancers survivor. She shares:
1. Reside Close to an NCI-Designated Most cancers Heart
One of many issues that was extremely essential to us after we determined to retire within the mountains was healthcare, given my stage 4 most cancers prognosis. And so we did some analysis. We checked out North Carolina and Virginia. We fell in love with the panorama of Virginia.
And we appeared up UVA Well being and realized that, on the time, it was the one complete most cancers middle designated by the Nationwide Most cancers Institute (NCI). We knew UVA Well being may provide the identical high-quality healthcare that we had in an enormous metropolis like Atlanta.
An NCI middle has so many benefits due to the analysis and medical trials it provides. I haven’t wanted to enroll in a medical trial but, however I understand how essential one is that if the usual care stops working for me.
We did our analysis after we determined to maneuver and settled on UVA Well being, which has been super. We could not be happier with my care.
2. Make Well being Your Precedence as a Stage 4 Most cancers Survivor
I spent 27 years with CNN in Atlanta. I had about 400 workers and coated 8 cities. I used to be on the manufacturing aspect. So I acquired to play with expertise and software program and do a lot of enjoyable issues, whereas getting a entrance row seat to historical past. It was wonderful.
However then I left that profession 2 years after my stage 4 most cancers prognosis. It simply acquired to be an excessive amount of. And I could not do well being and a job on the similar time.
I had numerous joint ache and fatigue initially. However principally, it was the fatigue and the stress of my job. It simply was overwhelming by way of having the ability to operate.
After I was working, I put all of my power into work. And I’d simply collapse once I got here house at night time. I had no power for the remainder of my life.
3. Know That Making Modifications Isn’t Giving In to Most cancers
After I was identified, my primary purpose in chemotherapy was to get again to work. And attempt to be the person who I used to be. And so I used to be very motivated to get again to work. And I labored actually laborious. I attempted to show to everyone that the most cancers wasn’t profitable.
However once I did a fly-fishing retreat with different stage 4 most cancers sufferers, I noticed at that second that my life might be totally different. I may have life. I may change my life. To surrender my profession, wasn’t giving up. It was altering the details of my state of affairs.
And in order that retreat was my pinnacle second. It is the place all of it snapped into place, that it is OK to let go. It is OK to do one thing totally different. Simply since you aren’t working, you’ll be able to have life.
4. Discover a Specialist in Your Kind of Most cancers
Once we determined to maneuver to Charlottesville and the UVA Well being space, I went on one among my Fb assist teams for most cancers and requested for suggestions. Christiana Brenin’s identify popped proper up. She’s an oncologist at UVA Well being Breast Care Heart. Dr. Brenin makes a speciality of breast most cancers. That is all she does. She is spot on. She’s so educated. It is wonderful.
So I had a physician earlier than I had purchased a home. We had all of the healthcare in line earlier than we ever left Atlanta.
5. Keep Primarily based in Information, Not Worry
All through my total prognosis and remedy for an aggressive sort of HER2-negative breast most cancers, my husband and I’ve been very fact-based. We have tried to not act on the worry. We attempt to act on the details.
I believed the primary time I had a development (remedy stopped retaining the most cancers from rising), it will really feel like a Mack truck hitting me once more like once I was first identified.
However my husband and I had been in a position to transfer from remedy to remedy and never get freaked out by staying fact-based. We thought, ‘One remedy labored for six years. The subsequent one will work once more.’ So the most cancers progressions haven’t been as scary as I believed they had been going to be.
With each of my progressions, Dr. Brenin is like, OK, ‘You’ve got had a development. Here is what is going on on. Here is the remedy we’re going to go to.’ There was no hesitation from her. After I walked into the workplace, she had a plan. And in order that gave us numerous confidence with every development. She’s been very pragmatic however very constructive.
6. Some Days, Do Nothing
I’m on my third line of remedy. And I nonetheless undergo from an excessive amount of fatigue. And now I’ve what’s known as hand and foot syndrome (a aspect impact of remedy). This impacts your arms and your ft and the soles and palms of your arms. And it may be fairly painful. I’ve had bleeding. And I’ve misplaced a few of my dexterity.
However total, I can handle the whole lot as a result of I am not working. So it provides me time. If I’ve a day once I’m actually fatigued, I simply do not do something. I’ve modified my life in order that I can handle my unwanted side effects.
7. Discover a Crew to Assist You Handle Facet Results
One of many nice issues concerning the workforce at UVA Well being is that they’ve actually helped me by way of the unwanted side effects of my hand and foot syndrome. They’re so educated and so useful in attempting to make it not as dangerous because it might be. They really useful I exploit numerous heavy-duty lotion — not simply run-of-the-mill lotion. However as a substitute, one thing like gardener’s cream that is actually thick.
I additionally use an arthritis painkiller lotion. Then I simply put on gloves and socks and hold them as lathered as I can.
Generally with unwanted side effects, one of many methods to handle them is altering the dose of your remedy. This is not preferrred, however when it is impacting your high quality of life, that is typically the most effective determination.
So I’ve had 2 dose reductions on the drug I am on proper now as a result of I had actually dangerous diarrhea and vomiting on the highest dose. A dose discount solved it. After which we did a dose discount for my bleeding and cracked arms. That additionally helped.
8. Journey at a Leisurely Tempo
A 12 months after we got here to Virginia, I had a development. It was June 2022, so I moved to a different capsule, a CDK inhibitor. That labored properly for a 12 months, after which I had one other development. The remedy I am on now’s an oral chemotherapy.
One in all my nurses mentioned to me as soon as, ‘Tablets journey, so you are not tied down, so long as you feel OK’. Feeling OK is a day-by-day factor. I do prefer to journey. That is one among my joys. So we’re fortunate that there is numerous remedies for us which are pill-based, that you do not have to go to an infusion room.
I’ve modified how I journey to handle the fatigue. I construct in a lot of relaxation time, constructing in days on the entrance or again of touring. And in case you’re doing a time change, it’s essential to take time to get better. I do not do practically as a lot as I used to once I journey.
Dealing with Most cancers?
See what our NCI-designated Complete Most cancers Heart means for you.
9. Search Consolation in Nature
We now have 100 acres on the aspect of a mountain close to Wintergreen. It has been pretty. Nature has been an actual a part of my remedy and therapeutic. It simply lowers my stress. Proper after I acquired identified, we spent numerous time tenting and leaving the town to be out in nature.
And so after we appeared for a spot to retire, it was essential to us to be someplace that was extra pure. We now have a lot of wildlife on our property. We now have tons of acres of forest. Our canine loves it. And my husband simply retired. So we’re planning all types of tenting journeys.
10. Search Assist From Others With Metastatic Most cancers
Proper after my prognosis, I reached out to the American Most cancers Society. It has a program known as Attain to Restoration, the place they pair you with any person who has the identical illness. That was extremely useful, simply to speak to any person who was residing with metastatic most cancers.
After I got here to UVA Well being, I volunteered with their Most cancers Peer Assist Program. I’ve talked to a handful of individuals with metastatic most cancers.
Lots of people simply wish to discuss to any person who’s going by way of having a stage 4 most cancers prognosis. They wish to discuss to any person who’s lived that have, is surviving that have.
However numerous time, it is about unwanted side effects. The right way to handle unwanted side effects, the psychological and the bodily. There are numerous psychological unwanted side effects to this illness. It is a very troublesome factor to get your head round.
Some folks simply wish to discuss one time. With one girl, I hear from her each couple of months when she’s coping with a change. However most significantly, folks need hope. Individuals wish to know that you could dwell life as a stage 4 most cancers survivor.
