Cheryl Terrusa

May 2024

Things have changed so much since writing my In Her Own Words (IHOW) article in June of 2018. We moved from Portland to Salem, downsized and remodeled a 1920 1150sf home, and I retired in 2020. I continued to volunteer though: a 3-week stint in a remote area (Holden Village), the Red Cross, Portland Parks, the Oregon Zoo (pika tracking), riding my bike to raise money for children with cancer, and the Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Did I mention I retired?! We went on an amazing trip to Europe and rode an e-bike for the first time. We took our kids and grandchildren to California and another trip to the Rogue River and the southern coast.

Throughout this time, though, I experienced depression and sadness and feared a recurrence of cancer. I couldn’t resolve these things, so I accepted help from a wonderful nurse who truly listened to me as we tried various medications. I also had fallen a couple of times, so I went through physical therapy (again) and found a way to walk better as I navigated neuropathy. My husband, Jim, found a jogging stroller to hold our 14-year-old dog Riley (he doesn’t walk) and younger shepherd Thor, and in case I need support too! My son helped me see the benefits of eating plants and their relation to cancer. I decided to let go of wondering if I was going to get cancer again.

Today, I still volunteer, but less. I learned to twine on YouTube, have fun with my grandkids when I see them, and do a bit of gardening, yoga, meditation, reading, and vegan baking. I’m not so embarrassed anymore pushing a pup in a stroller! My husband made a recent camping reservation at my favorite beach, and we have a family reunion in Wisconsin in June. Things have changed so much, but I’m okay with it now.

June 2018

I’ve never felt I was lucky. My grandparents and parents worked hard to get where they were in life. When I became an adult, I made a lot of mistakes early on and had to work that much harder. But I found myself in my forties completing college, raising three children, and living in the country with my husband Jim. It was a very busy time: three children in dance, softball, basketball, soccer, band and track, and both Jim and me working full time with a hobby business of raising Christmas trees. I was very active: volunteer, board member for a nonprofit women’s shelter, church, and fundraising; and I did crazy things like walk the “Portland to Coast,” and rode my bike for miles along the old Columbia Highway with my son Jesse. I was in good shape, and rarely ill.

Regarding my family’s medical history, there is alcoholism and cancer. When I turned 30, my mom had her leg amputated due to complications of ovarian cancer. She was 56 and died a year later. My siblings (I was the oldest of four) and I were devastated and mom’s passing created a lot of stress and grief in our lives for a long time. I remember going to my doctor, telling her about my mom and asking her to always test me for cancer. It was my understanding that I was tested each year at my annual checkup. This went on for several years.

Then sometime in 2014-2015, my doctor left the practice. I was bounced around, and often saw a nurse practitioner. In 2016 I saw either a doctor or nurse practitioner after I complained of abdominal pain. I was prescribed a medication for a urinary tract infection. We were out of town a few weeks later and I had extreme low abdomen pain again, and called the doctor’s office, which prescribed another regimen of medication over the phone. This time, the medication caused my stomach to burn. I again went back, bringing my husband Jim with me. I voiced my concerns about cancer and was flatly told, “Cheryl, you do not have cancer.” When we walked out of that office in Troutdale, Jim and I agreed to find another doctor. A few months earlier we had moved to SW Portland, and I got an appointment with a new doctor.

As luck would have it, my appointment was canceled due to snow. If that wasn’t enough, shortly after completing my prep for my colonoscopy, I received a call that it, too, was canceled due to snow (yes I cried).

Finally I saw the new doctor. In early February of 2017 (close to my birthday) I received a call from my doctor informing me that I had two large masses on my ovaries. She referred me to a gynecologic oncologist. After a CT scan and other tests, I was diagnosed with Stage IIIC ovarian cancer. I had major surgery in late February followed by chemotherapy through the month of August. I had genetic testing and learned that I have the BRCA gene mutation and have passed it on to one of my daughters, Kelsey. This was the worst part of my diagnosis.

As I reflect back on my “unlucky year,” I can’t help but be thankful for what I had including a wonderful doctor who listened to me; the care and concern of my Gyn Onc and awesome nurses; and the staff who informed us how to have my children tested and how to walk through this time in my life.

I am thankful for my siblings and family who told me they loved me and who were there throughout the entire ordeal; my three-year old granddaughter who looked at me after my hair fell out and said “you got a haircut!;” and my husband who held me as I cried and who stepped down from his busy job to care for me. I am also thankful for my coworkers who sent a filled basket of books, journals, healthy snacks and warm slippers; the neighbors and church members who prayed for me and fed my family; and my daughter who now works with her doctor to make informed decisions for the future. I also have a circle of new friends at Ovarian Cancer Alliance, and look forward to future engagements with them.

Whenever I have doubts about my health, I check in with my doctor. It hasn’t even been one year since the end of chemotherapy, so I have to tell myself it’s okay that I said to a childcare provider while working “do you keep your infant bottles in the oven?” when I meant the refrigerator (LOL).

I’m back walking with my husband and dog, have traveled to my daughter Lindsey’s home in Wisconsin and back by myself, and look forward to a trip to Hawaii soon.

I’d say I’m pretty lucky after all.