Sandy Moreno

October 2018

As I was thinking about telling “My Story” what came to my mind first were the symptoms that I ignored. I had bloating (chalked it up to getting older, I was 68); I had low grade pelvic pain (thought it was a bladder infection which would go away); my energy level had diminished extensively (which was not like me). Finally, I knew something was wrong when I would take two bites of food and I was full, I just could not eat any more. I knew something was not right. Something was wrong.

I went to my primary care doctor and described my symptoms. She pushed on my stomach/pelvic area, which was very painful. She immediately ordered an ultra sound and then changed her mind and ordered a CT scan. The scan revealed a mass about the size of a small cantaloupe. The doctors were sure it was cancer. I was fast tracked through the Kaiser system and had surgery by a gynecologic oncologist on July 11, 2017. The surgery went well; the cancer was contained in the ovaries and one fallopian tube. I had debulking and a port put in for chemotherapy later. My cancer was diagnosed Papillary Serous Carcinoma, Stage 2C.

My gynecologic oncologist told me because I was otherwise healthy, they were suggesting a “curative” treatment plan, with both IV (intravenous) and IP (intraperitoneal) chemotherapy. She advised that many times women can’t get through all the treatments but the doctor wanted me to try. I would have 18 treatments of Taxol and Cisplatin from August 15th through December 5th. During the treatment, I drank ginger tea, chewed ginger gum, ate just what sounded good, drank Ensure protein drinks, drank as much water as I could get down and used CBC Marijuana patches and oil. Most days I tried to get dressed and do small chores at home. I was very bummed that I could not “play” in the dirt in my garden. Luckily, I did not have any major issues. I did have mild nausea on occasion, constant fatigue and didn’t really want to eat much. But, I made it through all the treatments.

One thing I decided early on was to share my journey not only with my family and close friends, but to share it with ALL of my friends on Facebook who are all over the country. When I told them on Facebook I asked them to share this journey with me. I asked for their thoughts and prayers. I truly believe a good part of why I did so well through the surgery and chemo is because of the huge support group I had. Not a day went by that I didn’t receive some sort of encouragement…a phone call, a text, a batch of cookies in the mail from a Vietnam Veteran friend of my husband and his wife who have never even met me, soups/meals from neighbors and friends, a “damn it doll”, handmade quilts and … oh my gosh … cards that came in the mail (yes, people took the time to buy a card, write encouraging words, post it and mail it). It helped me to stay positive, helped me to be ok with losing my hair, helped me to “get through it.” My support group did not abandon me when the chemo was finished. They continued to remind me I had been through a lot, my body had been ravaged…it was OK to be tired, OK to nap, OK to stay home and read a book, OK to need to come home early from a gathering, OK to take my time to get back to “me.” In fact, they still remind me of those things.

When I was told I had ovarian cancer my wonderful husband and my best friend were with me. I did not cry (in fact, I never have). Of course, I was shocked. When we got home from the doctor’s office, my husband said “WE are going to beat this!” My mantras became “I can do it,” “I can get through this,” “I can beat this.” My family and friends took up the same mantras for me. In fact, one friend had a poster made for me… “Sandy Can Do It.” It hung on my bedroom wall through my entire journey. I remained positive throughout.

I feel like MY Cancer Journey is behind me. It is now my time to remind my family, friends, sisters and all ladies that I meet … listen to your gut/your body. Pay attention to changes that might indicate that there is something wrong. Don’t wait…check it out!

Now, it is my time to help my “sisters” through their journeys. I was thrilled to be asked by the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington to mentor women who are just starting their journeys. I recently was asked to mentor a wonderful woman. She had had her surgery and just started her chemo. She is just a joy to talk to. One of the first things I told her is “You can do this!” Talking with her, meeting her and her husband, sharing what I experienced, answering her questions, calming her fears, has also helped me with my fear of recurrence. It has reminded me that “I have beat this!” It has reminded me what a wonderful support group I have and giving back is what I’m meant to do. Mentoring may not be for everyone, but I encourage others to try it…it is so rewarding.

My final message to others with ovarian cancer: YOU are stronger than you think you are, YOU can do this, YOU are a warrior, YOU will be a survivor and YOU will thrive.