MOVE ON & OVARCOME!
I’m “Mandi Chambless, 9 ½ year Stage IIIc ovarian cancer survivor”. My name has gotten impressively longer, but fortunately so has my life span. This is my story
Q: How did your Ovarian Cancer get diagnosed?
A: On February 13, 2009 I was diagnosed with stage IIIC ovarian cancer during what we thought was going to be a routine laparoscopic procedure. I had been experiencing odd symptoms for three months and had visited doctor after doctor, one of which told me “this may just be how you are now”. My symptoms included dull lower back pain, weight gain even though I was working out and running all the time, and the strangest of all…a fluid discharge that led me to go through five tampons a night. I finally had an ultrasound and was told that there was a mass, but “don’t worry, it’s not cancer. You are too young and there’s no family history.” I went in for surgery to remove said benign mass and later woke up in recovery long enough to hear the nurse dictating next to my bed. “28 year old female, malignant neoplastic ovaries”. Oh no, I remember thinking in my anesthetic haze, that’s me she’s talking about…
The next thing I recall is hearing crying all around me. I was being wheeled down the hallway to my room. My family was leaning over me and as their tears fell on me, I asked my Dad if they took everything. “Yes, Baby. They did”. I asked my Dad, who along with my mom and brother, were faced with the torture of figuring out how to tell me about my diagnosis, if I had cancer. “Yes, Baby. You do.” I had undergone a complete hysterectomy and would be starting chemo in two weeks.
Q: What challenges have you faced in your journey with ovarian cancer?
A: Fear. Constant and persistent suffocating fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of recurrence, fear of the pain that I was causing those around me. Over the years since my diagnosis, as I move further and further away from the trauma of it all, this fear has greatly subsided but I’m sure it will always be there, looming in the background to a certain extent.
However, to add insult to injury, your body is held hostage by cancer. The unavoidable physical changes that you experience are a huge struggle. These tend to last forever, which is definitely not easy. You have already been through so much and every time you look in the mirror, there’s that reminder that you’ll never be the same again. But trust me, it’s not all bad! I am better for having had cancer. My reality is forever changed. I enjoy every moment, I travel, I don’t waste a single minute and most importantly, I put myself first. Things really can be better after cancer 😊.
Q: How have you learned to thrive in the face of ovarian cancer?
A: Face it head on. Talk about it when I need to talk about it. Step away from the conversation when I feel that I’ve had enough. I’m true to my own needs, probably for the first time ever. I also take care of my body. I work out, eat right and follow the most natural and organic life I possibly can.Lastly, I have found my “people”. The women that just get it. My survivor friends call each other the “oh girl, me too” friends! Others do their best to relate and understand, but unless you’ve experienced ovarian cancer yourself, thankfully for you, you just can’t possibly understand. Finding those women that “get me” was my saving grace.
Q: Tell us about your fresh perspective in life after the life changing cancer diagnosis?
A: In the simplest of terms, I do what I want to do and I don’t waste any time! “I can’t” is not in my vocabulary. I want to see the world, so I travel as much as possible. I want to try new things, so I try them. Fear of circumstance is always inevitable to a certain extent, but who has time to sit back in fear?! I’ve already faced the most horrendous thing I could face, so what do I have to lose? My favorite quote says it all: I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say because of you, I didn’t give up.
Q: How do you manage the life limiting effects of the illness and its treatments including the possibility of recurrence?
A: Fortunately for me, I am no longer a slave to the disease. I am one of the rare lucky ones. I am almost 10 years out from being diagnosed as Stage IIIc, which is terrifying but for the most part, I am able to live my life normally (but with that great sense of awareness that only cancer can gift you). Recurrence…that’s a whole different animal, isn’t it?! For those of you that are survivors, you know what it’s like walking into those follow ups. The amount of anxiety is palpable. I remember going into my 5 year appointment thinking that I was a ticking time bomb. The further away I was from treatment, the more I felt my expiration date looming over my head. When my doctor told me how important the 5 year mark was, along with a “congratulations” and a hug, I walked out of the doctor’s office and into elevator only to burst into tears. Not sad or scared tears. No, not anymore. Tears of relief. I could finally breathe for the first time in 5 years. Now, of course I know there’s always that chance of recurrence. I can’t hide from that. But I definitely don’t let it control my life. I have things to do!
Q: How has Ovarcome helped in supporting you through your journey?
A: I am new to the organization! I was referred by a friend of a friend and am incredibly excited to see what Ovarcome is all about!
So, here I am, 9 ½ years post diagnosis, 4 ½ years past my expiration date, one MONDO cancer diagnosis, one divorce, one move to Austin, one marriage to a man that knows everything that I have been though and that I can’t give him children but loves me anyway, 4 full marathons, 9 half marathons and a WORLD of happiness and love later. Here I am, telling you that life goes on. Love goes on. Memories remain and so do scars. But all of this- everything that you just read- it is a part of me. It has been woven into the fabric that continues to create the “after”… the “me” that I am becoming every day.
Those of us that have gone through tragedy have two ways we can choose to deal with life. We can become hardened, angry and bitter (what a WASTE of a life) or we can pick ourselves up, slap a smile on our face, and MOVE ON. Do the best you can every day, smile at someone, be kind, don’t judge, travel, see the world, don’t let your situation define you, learn to love again, forgive and forget. We ALL owe ourselves that chance. Some of us just get to have the “privilege” of learning it the hard way and I will be the first to tell you that it was horrible, humbling, enlightening, sorrowful, happy, and life changing…all at the same time.
MOVE ON. You CAN Ovarcome!
