English
As Jacquelyne Froeber tells it
I was at work when my cell phone rang.
“You have uterine cancer,” said the doctor who called me.
I had a huge feeling of panic. I opened my mouth to say, “I must have dialed the wrong number,” but I couldn’t get a single word out. I was shocked.
I started thinking about many things. I never expected the result of any test. But a few days ago I had surgery to remove polyps from my uterus in preparation for IVF.
He wanted to bring a new life into this world. I was unprepared for a cancer diagnosis.
The good news was that my gynecologist was also an oncologist and I was able to have a consultation with him straight away. The bad news: He recommended a total hysterectomy.
As I sat in his office, I suddenly felt the magnitude of the situation, including sadness, pain and anger. I was hurting because I couldn’t live the life I longed for. And if he survived, he would live a life he hadn’t planned.
But there was hope. He said I could opt for fertility sparing treatment, where I take an oral medication to see what effect it would have on the cancer. He said he only had a limited amount of time to try the treatment and would eventually have to undergo a hysterectomy. Since I wanted to get pregnant, this was the only option for me.
I interrupted IVF and started treatment immediately. I experienced the side effects listed on the label almost immediately. I was at home watching TV when I felt a heat like boiling water in my stomach. I watched in disbelief as a red line formed on my right hand, trailed up my arm, and eventually covered my entire body. It was like watching a Marvel movie. The heat was so intense that I wondered if I should go to the hospital. This was the first time I had a hot flash, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
I quickly realized that there were many things about my body that I couldn’t control. Before my diagnosis, I was always full of energy and active. But the treatment led to severe weight gain and extreme fatigue. I was so tired that I had to take a nap in the office every day around 2 p.m., hoping no one would see me. I felt like I had been hit by a bus.
I also found it very difficult to talk about what was happening to other people. It just didn’t feel right to talk about cancer with friends or family. They all meant well, of course, but they just didn’t really understand what I was feeling. My health advisor talked to me about cancer support groups at Gilda’s Club in New York City, so I decided to go there.
Even though I wasn’t there at first, everyone immediately welcomed me. I didn’t have to say anything. We were all united by sadness and fear, that always happens with cancer. The support group helped me through some of the most difficult days and encouraged me in ways I never thought possible.
2019 (Photo/Karen Gerard)
And he needed all the support he could get. I underwent biopsy every two months to check for changes or malignancies. For each biopsy, I had to receive anesthesia, request time off work, and deal with the stress associated with the surgery.
But after a year there was no change. My doctor said that the treatment wasn’t working and that we should proceed with the hysterectomy unless my next biopsy shows good results.
When I got home on the subway, I had tears on my face. A wave of pain came over me and I felt very alone and defeated. All my dreams suddenly disappeared. It was torn to pieces.
And then I heard my inner voice. I heard the message loud and clear: it was powerful, much more powerful than I thought. And I decided to believe it.
Since I knew that hormones can promote this disorder, I followed a plant-based diet and avoided hormones from animal products. I read every book I could find about the vegan lifestyle and tried to eat as healthily as possible. It wasn’t easy, I loved cheeseburgers, but I could control not taking extra hormones.
I also tapped into this inner voice through meditation. I learned to let go of some of the anger I was holding on to and focused on embracing a more healing energy.
On the day of the biopsy I was extremely nervous. And the wait for the results was unbearable. Finally, I was at the doctor’s office when I received the great news: I didn’t have cancer.
This happened seven years ago and I’m still in remission. I never underwent IVF again and ultimately made the difficult decision to have a hysterectomy to avoid future complications.
I am very fortunate that my IVF journey resulted in an early diagnosis of endometrial cancer. He had no symptoms, no abnormal bleeding, and was 38 years old, much younger than the average age for this type of cancer. Who knows how long it would have taken if I hadn’t had this polyp removal surgery.
I rarely think about cancer and that time in my life, but I always remember the lesson I learned: that I should listen to my inner voice and do what is right for me. Healthcare providers are wonderful, of course, but you are the only expert when it comes to your own being. Pay attention to your inner voice. We are all much more powerful than we think.
This educational resource was created with support from Merck.
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