Marilyn Guldan

December 2012

In December of 2010, while on sabbatical from my job at Intel, I was watching Dr. Oz talk about ovarian cancer and I managed to totally miss that I had all of the symptoms he discussed. Days later, an X-ray for a persistent cough revealed fluid around my lungs and a pulmonary embolism. I had a CT of my lungs, and 24 hours later, another CT of my abdominal area. That one revealed cancer throughout my abdomen including on both ovaries. Three days later, I had surgery for stage IV ovarian cancer. My Type-A compulsive worker life had come to a crashing halt, and I entered the world of a chronic cancer patient.

I responded to treatment well and at the completion of my chemo I was flying high, convinced that I would be among the chosen who didn’t recur. I was wrong.

After one year in remission, I recurred in August 2012. A small tumor was pressing on my rectum. My doctors caught it quickly and I began a second line chemo treatment which will end late in December 2012. Already my CA 125 scores are in the 5 – 6 range and a recent CT showed no evidence of the tumor. This is good news but any smugness about being done with cancer is gone. This beast has a foothold in me and I know that the possibility of recurrence will be lurking for the rest of my life.

Prior to my cancer I had considered retiring but I was having a hard time breaking away from a great job and people I loved. The cancer changed that. I retired after my first chemo treatments, and was left with lots of time on my hands, firsthand knowledge of a terrible cancer, and a passion to help others.

I had become acquainted with the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington (OCAOSW) through its mentor program so, after chemo, I contacted the OCAOSW about how I could get involved.

My introduction to the OCAOSW initially came through my surgeon’s nurse who handed me their teal pamphlet and encouraged me to call the toll-free number. I knew I needed help wading through this new world, so a couple of weeks after surgery I called. Diane Rader-O’Connor returned my call the same day and, after a brief discussion, she called back a day later with a mentor match, a survivor who had my same surgeon and my same health program.

Having a mentor who knew my program was a tremendous help to me. With her support, I was able to more confidently weave my way through the complexities of surgery, oncology, and the chemo with its many side-effects. Today, two years later, I have the privilege of mentoring a new survivor. Once again it’s an amazing match and the experience is as rich for me as it is for the survivor, possibly richer.

In addition to mentoring ovarian cancer patients, I also participate in the Survivors Teaching Students program where survivors speak to medical and nursing students at medical and nursing schools like OHSU, Linfield College, and Pacific University School of Pharmacy.

While getting cancer was traumatic and getting it back was even more so, for me, it’s been a time of many blessings. I may be living with a life-threatening disease but, thanks to medical achievements and to my amazing medical team, I’m living a full and meaningful life. Each day is a gift, and I have a whole new realization of how truly precious each day is.

NOTE: Marilyn Guldan retired in September of 2011 from a position as an executive assistant at Intel Corporation in Hillsboro (Oregon). Prior to her work at Intel she worked as an executive assistant in financial management firms and taught humanities at the college and high school levels. In retirement, she is writing, and volunteering as an Ombudsman with the State of Oregon as well as with the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington.