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Meet Kathy
Survivor to Survivor with Kathy Leavis
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Kathy Leavis. Kathy is an ovarian cancer survivor who lives in Portland with her husband of 46 years, Don.
In 2019, Kathy was part of an open water swimming group that met a few times a week at Ferry Beach in Scarborough. That fall, this particular group decided to see just how long they could keep swimming in the cold weather. They actually made it through the entire winter. However, in March of 2020, Kathy had a new sensation of discomfort, and some pain in her stomach. She wondered if it was irritable bowel syndrome, but didn’t pay much attention as she was in the process of packing to visit a daughter who lives in France. The fact that her own mother had survived ovarian cancer had crossed her mind, though.
While visiting their daughter in Europe, she and her husband actually took a side trip to Barcelona, Spain, as a gift from their four children. As everyone knows all too well, the pandemic hit in March, 2020. They got the last flight out of Barcelona, the last flight out of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and ultimately what turned out to be the last Concord coach out of Boston to come back to Maine. By then, her PCP appointment had been canceled because of the pandemic, but she let them know that she was having these pelvic symptoms and really did want to come in and be evaluated. The PCP got her in, did an examination, and ordered a check of Kathy’s cancer antigen (CA)-125 tumor marker levels (an indication of ovarian cancer). A few days later her PCP, Dr. Christine Gates, ultimately called and gave her the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Kathy's response to Dr. Gates, who she's very fond of by the way, was that ‘it must be very difficult for you to give this bad news to your patients.’ Dr. Gates then told her she had already made an appointment with an oncologist and for a CT scan. She had chosen the perfect person for her to see for a gynecological oncology consultation. She ultimately called her husband Don, who came right home from work. After that first shock and some tears, they agreed that they would get through this together as they did with other hard things in their life.
Her CT scan led to a biopsy, and finally the diagnosis of a tumor on her omentum, a layer of fatty tissue spanning across the abdomen. Dr. Gates referred her to Dr. Leslie Bradford, a GYN oncologist. Their relationship started with a telehealth visit. She would first have three cycles of neoadjuvant (before surgery) chemotherapy, followed by surgery (a laparoscopic total abdominal hysterectomy [removal of the uterus], bilateral salpingooophorectomy [removal of both fallopian tubes and ovaries], and omentumectomy [removal of the omentum]. Surgery was followed by an additional three cycles of adjuvant (after surgery) chemotherapy.
Kathy was unable to have a companion during her infusions due to the pandemic, so she sat through all of her visits alone. She was grateful for the nurses and everyone in infusion who cared for her, and for the pharmaceutical company who was able to cover her very expensive two year course of medications.
Kathy was impressed with the rest of the care team who she came in contact with, remarking specifically about the radiology team who made her feel so comfortable. In 2022, imaging had found two tumors in the liver which were thankfully found to be benign on biopsy.
After each round of chemotherapy, Kathy experienced excruciating bone pain in her legs. She also had neuropathy and could not walk very well for the first several days after treatment. She continued swimming, and it was in the water where she felt most normal and so alive.
She wanted her 70th birthday in June to be a positive experience and so she asked friends and family to send prayer flags, rather than gifts She was able to hang those in a visible spot from her house into her yard for daily inspiration and hope.
Before her diagnosis, Kathy had registered for the Three-mile Islesboro Swim fundraiser race for Life Flight Maine. She swam her race virtually, knowing that this event would give her both strength and hope.
Kathy said she would be remiss if she didn't also talk about the sadness that survivors sometimes go through thinking about the possibility of leaving loved ones.
She wanted to share with readers the reminder to show your love to others and tell them you love them. She is ultimately doing a legacy DVD through the programs at The Dempsey Center as a gift to her family.
Kathy began attending a virtual support group through the Dempsey Center and now attends in person. The sharing among survivors is important at all stages of treatment and recovery, and she believes the people in her support group at the Dempsey Center are very hopeful and courageous.
Kathy says her whole life has changed emotionally, spiritually, and physically. She currently attends a spirituality group for women that studies some Buddhist practices. She learned “metta meditation”, also known as kindness meditation, and she shares this with others. The practice is to say a sequence of affirmations (see inset, below) three times for yourself, and then three times for someone else (changing out the pronouns), and finally, working out to all those in the world.
Following our interview and the collection of the great images shared here, Kathy said: “Cancer has made me a better person, slower to judge and more introspective. So, thank you.”
In February 2023, Kathy participated in the Kingdom Games in Vermont on the border of Quebec, Canada at Lake Memphremagog The temperature was -5 degrees with the wind chill, but she successfully participated and loved it!
Kathy is crazy about her grandchildren. At two years old, her granddaughter Brooke would reach her tiny hand up under Kathy’s cap as she loved feeling her grandmother’s soft, bald head. Kathy said: “My family was so supportive…. essentially, family is everything to me!”
