The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Appreciating Life
Cancer survivor shares personal fight
By Alison Marable, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: March 6, 2008
Laura Woody was a 39-year-old wife and mother of four, toting a long-awaited college degree in December of 2003. Her children were 13, 11, 10 and 9 and she was looking forward to rejoining the workforce full time after being a stay-at-home parent.
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That was when she received the shock of her life.
Woody experienced a mild pain in her abdomen that eventually became more severe. Doctors considered the cause to be stress or a partial blockage, never even considering anything more serious. After innumerable procedures, X-rays, prescriptions and CT scans, she was scheduled for surgery on Valentine's Day.
Surgery came none too soon as her intestines ruptured during the operation, which revealed that she had cancer of the colon and that the nearby lymph nodes were also positive for cancer. It was Feb. 19, 2004, when Woody was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.
She started chemotherapy in March and finished on Halloween. Only eight months after the initial diagnosis, she learned that the cancer had metastasized to her ovaries, requiring a med port to deliver another round of chemotherapy and additional surgery.
During the time that she had a reprieve from chemo to undergo surgery, the cancer spread to her liver. Woody was eligible for a right hepatic lobectomy and radiofrequency ablation, procedures that required a lengthy and painful recovery period.
After her surgery in 2006, she received more chemo through a pump aimed directly at the liver, which was followed by oral chemotherapy drugs until July of 2007. She is now in remission and sharing her story as part of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
The surprise is that Woody has no family history of colon cancer, eats vegetables, limits junk foods, is physically fit and gets regular exercise. Her healthy lifestyle coupled with the sudden onset of her symptoms never signaled medical professionals to consider cancer as an option. In addition, she wasn't yet at the recommended age of 50 to be referred for a colonoscopy.
She credits her recovery to a combination of her own positive attitude and her loving family. Brandon, Sarah and Noah, students at Saline High School, and Rachel, an eight-grader at Saline Middle School, took care of their mother by pampering her, helping out with chores, letting her cry when needed and praying.
"I have fought my way through this because of them," Woody said.
Friends at Oakwood Church in Saline, where Woody is the financial secretary, brought meals, cleaned her home and assisted with the children. Two close friends, Robin Radcliff and Mary Kay Bloch, sat with her during chemotherapy, offered a safe place to talk, and made her favorite post-chemo treat of blueberry pancakes.
The nurses at the University of Michigan Cancer Center also provided support and encouragement to the worn out patient.
"When I just couldn't take one more poke for the I.V., they would remind me that I had to do it, not for me, but for my kids and husband," Woody said.
Woody chose not to participate in cancer support groups because of the age difference between herself and the typically older colon cancer patient. She had school-age children, recently graduated from college, and was anticipating finding the perfect full-time job.
"They had lived the life that I feared would never happen for me. I didn't think that they would relate to me," she said.
Woody is able to point out many positives from her four-year struggle with colon cancer.
"My friends will tell you that I have had one of the most positive attitudes through this whole ordeal," she said.
Through genetic testing, she was able to discover that her cancer is not hereditary, information which is vital for her children. Additionally, her diagnosis is an impetus for her siblings and children to consider getting a colonoscopy much earlier than the recommended age.
One of her sisters had three polyps removed at her first colonoscopy.
"Had she not had that done, there is a very good possibility that she could have had a diagnosis of colon cancer one day," Woody said.
Woody says that her cancer treatment and recovery has brought her closer to her husband of 20 years. She also never misses an opportunity to hug her kids or see a friend. Despite the struggles, she came to a conclusion that answered her question of, "Why me?"
"I am strong enough to deal with this happening to me," she said. "I may not be so strong if it were someone I love."
Woody says that she has learned not to take anything for granted and to appreciate the small miracles in her surroundings. She listens to her body and isn't afraid to ask her doctor questions.
"I am more in tune with what my body is telling me," she said.
Their four children missed out on vacations and having their mother at all of their school activities, but the trials of a parent with cancer helped them to grow.
"It has caused them to become a bit more capable, a bit more independent, and I think more aware of how to help, not just me, but others," Woody said.
She continues to utilize her sunny disposition and the connection with God that helped her through the occasional dark days that all cancer patients endure.
"I pray every day that I will be here to watch all of my kids graduate from high school, and that Ron and I will have many more anniversaries," Woody said.
Armed with her bachelor's degree in English linguistics from Eastern Michigan University, Woody now has a new position in the EMU's Provost's Office as the associate provost's administrative secretary. She commutes to work daily with her husband who is also employed at EMU as associate director in the Division of Informational Technology.
Woody can list the many ways that cancer has affected her mentally and physically.
"This has changed me deeply," she said.
Now that she is in remission, has her hair back and is working full time, Woody has but one mission left.
"It's just finding that new normal in living life as a cancer survivor," she said.
Alison Marable is a freelance writer and columnist, writing a biweekly column called "Cancer Declassified" that appears in this newspaper. She can be reached at alimarabelle@yahoo.com.
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