caring for the love of your life...meet john
“It’s lung cancer, stage four,” she said.
June, my wife of 36 years looked at me from a hospital bed at Eisenhower.
I can never never forget that life-changing moment.
She had thought she was having heart issues that brought us to ER that hot August day some 11 years ago now.
Thanks to the compassion and professionalism of that ER doctor, Dr. Raul. Ruiz, He said no heart attack but something was seriously wrong and she should stay in the hospital and see our family doc who happened to be seeing patients that day.
Our doctor started the battery of tests then CAT scan that determine a tumor in her lung, two spots on the right thigh and lymph nodes chock full of cancer that mimicked a heart attack.
Still in shock, we connected with a Dr. Dreisbach, a wonderful compassionate oncologist who told us on first visit only God knows when you will die.
That gave us hope that June, a first grade teacher could whip this.
She was determined to with Gods help and I would be her caregiver along with husband and best friend who made sure we got to all doc appoints, chemo appoints and took care of her after chemo treatments that threatened to suck the life of her daily,
She braved it all even on oxygen, so many different chemo cocktails and went back to teaching until the cancer, which at first subsided somewhat came back with such an ugly vengeance. After 2.5 years of the battle, her body gave out to the horrid disease.
My life compass was broken. As a caregiver you must always have hope and do everything to take care of her 24/7 She laughed when I shaved my head when she started to lose all her hair.
Being a caregiver was the most difficult and terrifying =time of my life, although we share some tears of joys and relived memories of raising two daughters who were now adults and shared the journey.
One person of so many cancer patients who we got to know during Tuesday support meetings at EMC told me as a caregiver its like running through the front door of a burning home and coming out the back door, thinking. Did I just do that.? You react with out thinking and do everything possible.
Before June died at hospice in our home, we had clung to a phrase that has helped me as a caregiver and an advocate for cancer patients and their families: “I may have cancer but cancer NEVER has me'’
This mantra has served me well as an advocate and ambassador for the American Cancer Society and ACS Cancer Action network.
Advocacy for cancer patients and their families is as crucial as pressing forward for cancer research by ACS which impacts everyone who had or has cancer. ACS funds essential researchers so you will find ACS funded researchers at all premier cancer institutions in America.
ACS Cancer Action Network, celebrating 20 years, consists of volunteers of all ages, including cancer survivors, cancer patients, caregivers and families who lost a loved one. We are official arm of ACS. We have a first rate cancer strong administration and many volunteer lobbyists who share our agenda to help cancer patients on local, state and national issues. We go to DC annually and meet with all Congressional and Senate representatives on national issues from bills to cancer research funding. You probably saw the inspiring national Tv coverage of 40,000 illuminaries
#LightsofHope around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. The hand made memorials are in honor or in memory of someone.
Because of Covid we are doing a virtual Leadership Summit and Lobby Day this year. But just as successful. We also meet annually with state representatives in Sacramento on variety of cancer related issues from tobacco and vaping to cancer specific like donating oral drugs to patients under doctors supervision.
For more information, please go to fightcancer.org or email me at prguy50@gmail.com
by John Hussar, ACS Cancer Action Network volunteer ambassador for the Greater Coachella Valley