December 23, 2021

Cancer changes you! I saw life differently...I would never take life for granted again! - Isabel F.

MY CANCER DIAGNOSIS.

I was diagnosed with gastric cancer in august 2020. I was going through the Bariatric surgery weight loss program and on my final process, they did an EGD and my Gastroenterologists saw an ulcer but behind the ulcer, he saw a Cancer tumor! I was in disbelief and in shock. My world began to fall apart. I began to feel really scared and my family came to my mind. How would they take this bad news and how was I supposed to fight this cancer! Very scary thoughts began to come to mind.

CHEMO.

Chemotherapy was horrible, I went through lots of side effects. Losing my hair, my eyelashes were sad. The vomiting, the loss of taste, dizziness, headaches, not being able to eat or hold my food, along with recovering from a total gastrectomy at the same time and not being able to hold my food or drink! I got anemic, low potassium, weakness, losing weight! Overall chemo was hard on me and brought me down completely, I had to stay strong for my children, husband! I didn't want them to see me sick so I had to pretend I was fine when I wasn't! I stayed in my bedroom during my side effects and sick days! I had their support, yet I felt sad and lonely. My husband did his best to support me. My children, my sisters were always checking up on me, but I still felt sad and scared!

THE JOURNEY.

I went through it all from chemotherapy, side effects, sick days & nights, not sleeping! From losing my stomach due to a total gastrectomy, 11 hours of surgery, recovering from surgery, and facing chemotherapy before and after surgery, my journey was tough and I'm in remission and I know I still have a long journey ahead of me. I thank God every day, for allowing doctors to find my gastric cancer in its early stages and that I am still here with my family, and that I am not alone.

THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING.

Cancer changes you! I saw life differently and I told myself I would never take life for granted again. I prayed to God to give me another chance to live, to heal me completely. You never think Cancer will come to you, till it happens to you. You then realize you need to fight this Cancer to live for yourself, your family, and your friends. I thought of my family and how would they survive without me and me being sick. My cancer affected my children, they never wanted to talk about it, they were in denial and preferred me not talking about my illness! I know it was scary for them and didn't want to face it either, so they rather not talk about it! Yet my husband was always there for me. He helped me and care for me after he got home from work.