Teri Giangreco

February 2018

For the first ten months of 2016 I was the healthiest I had ever been. I was determined to eat right, exercise more, and work fewer hours. I was a very young 69-year old. And, then out of nowhere, I wasn’t.

In October, I felt some “stirrings” in my abdomen. By December, I was not feeling well. On a Friday morning in January 2017, I went to the Emergency Room after three days of bloating, loss of appetite, changes in my bowels, the inability to completely empty my bladder, and the worst pain I had ever experienced.

Fortunately, the doctor on duty did a CT scan and diagnosed me as having ovarian cancer. He also immediately referred me to a Gynecologic Oncologist and suggested I call her office first thing Monday morning. Unbeknownst to me, that Gyn Onc had also been on duty Friday, and before I could make the call to her office on Monday, the office called me to say I already had an appointment for Tuesday!

I hadn’t heard of the specialty of gynecologic oncology before all of this, and once I saw the Gyn Onc, things moved quickly. By the end of that week a biopsy determined that I had ovarian cancer, Stage IIIC. The following week a port was put in and I started nine weeks of chemotherapy, followed by a complete hysterectomy and debulking surgery. After a month of recovery, I had an additional nine weeks of chemotherapy, which ended in late July.

My husband and I always knew we were part of a strong community, but were totally overwhelmed by all the love and support we received during this time. We found more blessings in those seven months than we had in the full 70 years of our lives. Support from family and friends was vital to my treatment and healing.

I am pleased to say that I am currently NED and loving my life again. Thanks to my doctor, her team, the staff at Legacy Salmon Creek infusion center, my husband [the best care giver], and my family, my life is full again. Reading and exercise are enjoyable again. I am able to do some volunteer work and contribute to the community.

My mission going forward is to help educate others of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Had I known the symptoms, I would have sought medical attention sooner.

Editor’s Note: Teri, a very recent (this year!) retiree, enjoys spending time with her family and feels fortunate to have four grandchildren who are her “loves.” She has a wonderful husband, a son and daughter and a community of friends.

She likes to read, walk for exercise and do water aerobics.  Teri is a volunteer with the Hadassah Medical Organization and says she loves “helping others and being active.”