Kim Rhodes

August 2019

Hello, my name is Kim Rhodes, and this is my story. Background first: I am not athletic nor all that outgoing; I love reading, writing and working. My mother did a great job of raising three girls but, as was standard for her generation, did not talk about women’s health issues. I love my God, my husband, my household fellowship (church), and my job co-workers and customers.

It was August 2010, and the pain in my lower left side had only gotten worse. The pain had started about ten months earlier, just for a few days and then gone. I thought it was all part of menopause— I was wrong. The night before our household fellowship’s night of talent, all I was concerned with was my reading of Kenny Rodger’s lyrics to “You Decorated My Life” which was my way of telling them how much they meant to me. The pain just did not go away, and for the first time in our marriage my husband had to sleep on the couch. The next morning Jack took me “kicking and screaming” to the urgent care near our house. Over the next week we tried several treatments, but nothing worked. The third Monday in August I was sent for a transvaginal ultrasound. Fortunately the urgent care doctor then referred me to a specialist. That Thursday I found myself in the office of a gynecologic oncologist who was setting an appointment for a complete hysterectomy.

So on September first for the first time in my life I had surgery—- I was a nervous wreck. After the surgery, the doctor told Jack that I had a left ovary the size of a cantaloupe and that he had taken some tissue for further testing. On September 18th I went in for my follow- up visit. It was then that I heard the word cancer; the doctor found some “free floating” cancer cells. I was diagnosed with Stage IC ovarian cancer. Telling my dad was the hardest part because in June 2009 my mom lost her battle with cancer. Chemo was prescribed for me, and the next three weeks are still kind of a blur. I had surgery to put in a port and a chemo class to let me know what to expect. Still nothing quite prepares you for what is coming. For the next six months, I had chemo every week on Thursday for three weeks followed by a week off. On my first day of chemo on September 30th I sat next to someone who helped me stay calm because she was calm. She said, “You will get used to it.” — and I did.

Attitude is very important to recovery and overall health. So I did my best to stay calm and not be afraid of anything. Help came in the form of love and support from family, household, co-workers, and customers. Singing songs also helped. One of our church songs, “Strong Enough to Prevail,” has two lines I sang a lot: “When the storms of life assail we are strong enough to prevail.” So for the next six months I had chemotherapy and five blood transfusions. The first transfusion on the day that I was scheduled to work again. On February 23^rd, 2011 I had my last chemo treatment:)! And in April 2016 my doctor gave me a clean bill of health and “fired” me.

Since 2012 I have come to know other survivors from the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington, and I enjoy spending time with them and helping anyway I can.