Hope & Faith
As she awoke from what she thought was routine gallbladder surgery, Carol Jablonski wondered why her husband, children and their spouses had gathered around her hospital bed so somberly.
"That's when the doctor confirmed that I had cancer," recalled Jablonski, 67, of Butler. "I thought they must have gotten my charts mixed up with someone else's."
Jablonski was diagnosed in 1997 with Stage 4 colon cancer. The five-year survival rate for Stage 4 colon cancer is 8 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Jablonski beat the odds. Like others with similar stories, she relied on faith and optimism.
Jablonski had carcinoid tumors in her colon, which grow very slowly and often do not show signs or symptoms.Doctors removed her gallbladder, appendix and part of her colon, but then realized there were cancerous lesions on Jablonski's liver."Even with all the tests they'd done, the cancer in my colon was so well-hidden that it was not detected until it metastasized in my liver," she explained.After a round of chemotherapy starting in January 1998, she underwent laser surgery in May and July of the same year to remove a total 13 lesions.She then underwent full-body radiation in June 2001, followed with chemoembolization in September 2003 and January 2004, which injected anti-cancer drugs directly into blood vessels feeding the tumor.The procedure was not enough to stop the cancer from spreading to Jablonski's bones, and she underwent more radiation in late 2004.She now receives monthly injections of another medicine to slow the growth of tumors. Doctors continue to monitor her condition, which is now stable."I'm not so naive to think there wont be a time when it will progress," she said. "Whatever happens is God's will — when he says your time is up, you can't say, 'Hey, wait, I'm not ready!'"Baking, cooking traditional foods like perogie and halupki, and spending time with her three children and four grandchildren keep Jablonski feeling upbeat."I think that's her medicine for getting through this," said her husband of 47 years, Joe Jablonski.She remains cheerful and chats with other patients at Benbrook Medical Center in Butler, especially if she hasn't seen them around before, he said."She's like a guardian angel," he said proudly. "She shines her light on a lot of people."Always an optimist, Jablonski credits her faith, husband, family and positive outlook for her health.Jablonski said she lives by the words on a framed plaque displayed at her home: "Look for the small miracles and you'll find they're everywhere.""There's always room to hope," Jablonski said. "Even when things seem difficult, somehow you find the strength that your faith will give you, and you get through it."
When Anthony Frochio was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, he believed the doctors who told him there wasn't much more they could do.If not for a visiting nurse, Frochio said he might have given up hope."She told me to get a second opinion, and getting a second opinion is what changed my life," he said. "She gave me that extra push I needed."Frochio has been cancer-free for eight months, although his journey has been a rocky one.Before his diagnosis, he played the drums, sang professionally and performed under his stage name, Washboard Tony."My life was great; I had no complaints," said Frochio, who lives in Connoquenessing. "Back then, I was working, playing, always on the go."He often felt drained and tired during the summer of 2004, but did not visit his doctor until September."(The doctor) called me a few days later and said, 'We have a room for you at Butler Memorial Hospital,'" he said. "That's when it all started to sink in."His first surgery was unsuccessful in removing the grapefruit-sized tumor from his colon.Eighteen weeks of chemotherapy followed, but Frochio soon came to accept he was terminally ill.A visiting nurse urged him to keep fighting, which led Frochio to schedule a second surgery about six months after the first.This time, the cancerous growth was removed and more chemotherapy and radiation ensued to remove polyps and cancer cells.Advocating for his own health proved to be a challenge because he went through much of his illness alone."I didn't ask a lot of questions at first because I figured the doctors knew everything," he said. "But then I realized that to get better, I had to be in charge."During his illness, he admits he went through some "dark times."Uninsured at the time of his diagnosis, he lost his car, most of his possessions and drained his savings account to cover the cost of treatment. He obtained insurance about six months later but estimates an out-of-pocket cost of about $1 million for his care."I was struggling with cancer, and also fighting on the phone with insurance companies and bill collectors," he said. "That's hard on one person."He made a conscious effort to improve his outlook, which in turn improved his health."It's easier said than done and it didn't happen overnight," he said. "I believe if you can change your attitude, it makes a difference.".Dr. Robert Patterson, director of pathology and laboratories at Butler Memorial Hospital, agrees that attitude plays a role."It's hard to measure; it's one of the intangibles," said Patterson. "But I do think it has an effect.""Having a good support system, a good attitude and faith can help to lower stress levels and make it easier to deal with whatever you have to deal with," Patterson said.
Margaret "Peg" Graber also credits faith for beating the odds with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which doctors predicted would kill her within five or six months of her diagnosis three years ago."I prayed for a small miracle and I got a large one," said Graber of Slippery Rock. "I didn't let it interfere with anything."During a bout with pneumonia in March 2007, a chest scan revealed a tumor in her pancreas. Still, she kept her life as normal as possible while juggling doctor's appointments and undergoing chemotherapy."I would get up, go to chemo and then go to work," said Graber, 76, who never considered cutting back. "That's just not me."Graber went to chemotherapy twice a month for a year after her diagnosis and her tumor eventually shrank from 3.1 centimeters to 1.3 centimeters.The tumor's size hasn't changed in about two years, and Graber feels energetic and healthy.Because the pancreas is deep inside the body, tumors cannot be seen or felt during routine examinations.By the time a patient shows symptoms, the cancer is usually large and has spread to other organs."If it hadn't been for the pneumonia, they might not have found it until it was too late," said Graber, whose doctor notified her while she was at work as a tax preparer at H&R Block.After hanging up the phone, Graber stepped out to gather her thoughts."I went outside, looked at the sky and said, 'God, you've taken care of me for 73 years, so don't quit now!'" she said.A cancer diagnosis is difficult for all involved, but patients should not hesitate to ask for help or talk about their illness, Graber said."People as a whole are very caring and supportive," she said. "But they can't support you if they don't know you need it."Frochio agrees, hoping to take that concept a step farther by starting a colon cancer support group for others."I've been very fortunate; I think God has a plan for me," he said. "I just have to be patient and things will fall into place."Patterson said in addition to faith and moral support, early detection plays a role."People tend to be scared and not want to know — and that's understandable — but you do better if you overcome that and come on in," he said."Virtually every cancer can be treated more successfully at an earlier stage."The odds of surviving a cancer are increasing every day, Patterson added."Technology is always improving, and we're doing the same thing as far as diagnostics and treatment," he said."There's still a long way to go, but in some areas the survivals are more than they used to be."
For most cancers, stage is based on three factors:• The original (primary) tumor's size and whether the tumor has grown into nearby areas• Whether the cancer has spread to the nearby lymph nodes• Whether the cancer has spread to distant areas of the bodyThe stage of a cancer does not change over time, even if the cancer progresses. A cancer that comes back or spreads is still referred to by the stage it was given when it was first found and diagnosed.Definition of stages:• Stage 0: Carcinoma in situ (early cancer that is present only in the layer of cells in which it began).• Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3: Higher numbers indicate more extensive disease: greater tumor size, and/or spread of the cancer to nearby lymph nodes and/or organs adjacent to the primary tumor.• Stage 4: The cancer has spread to another organ.SOURCE: www.cancer.gov.
