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Hello, my name is Maribeth and I’m a nurse practitioner at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. In February of 2023 after
a yearlong journey of infertility, I was informed that I would require in-vitro fertilization to conceive a child. it wasn’t until that June that I was able to have my first egg retrieval followed by fallopian tube removal in July. My fallopian tubes had a blockage that would inhibit the success of egg transfer which made the surgery necessary.
On July 28th, 2023 a day that’s forever burned into my memory, I received a phone call from my infertility doctor to give me the unexpected pathology results. During that phone call, I was told I had cancer the words everyone hopes they never have to hear pathology confirmed the atypical cells originated from my lower GI tract, but that’s all the information we had. It was really difficult to wrap my head around this life-changing information since I was asymptomatic and felt good.
After a few weeks of processing this information with different emotions, I started on my medical workup over the next two months. I stayed motivated I had a colonoscopy, PET scans, blood work, MRIs, CT Scan, bronchoscopy, oncology appointments, and finally, exploratory laparoscopic surgery with an appendectomy 3 weeks later. Pathology gave me a diagnosis of low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, what we call LAMN. After diagnosis confirmation, I found the PMP support group on Facebook and was encouraged to seek consultation from a specialist. A few months later, I decided on a specialist who was a few states away but could give me the best care possible. We picked a date for surgery, which happened to be my birthday.
A few days into the new year of 2024, I couldn’t have chosen a better way to ring in the New Year by taking the next step to hopefully becoming NED (no evidence of disease). I underwent CRS HIPEC or the surgery that most of us know as the “mother of all surgeries (MOAS).” My surgery lasted a little longer than 10 hours and I was given a PCI score of 22 out of 39. I spent the next week in the hospital with a long road of recovery ahead of me.
I learned a lot this past year. I learned about a disease I never knew existed. I learned what’s important in life and what isn’t. I learned who my support system is and the lengths they are willing to go for me. I learned the value of time and what not to waste it on. I learned to appreciate everything life has to offer. I learned hope keeps you going. I learned I’m one tough cookie and I learned to count my blessings, not my problems.
Believe it or not, I’m grateful for so many things this past year has given me. I’m grateful for all the things that went right with my diagnosis, the love and support that was given to me, and my renewed faith. With everything I learned and my new outlook on life last month, I found out I can be considered NED.
A lot can change in a year. 2023 may have been the year that I got cancer, but 20124 is the year I beat it.