6 minute read
Meet Heather
Survivor to Survivor
By Amy Litterini
I knew immediately when I learned her email address included the phrase “baby catcher” that I would be in for an interesting interview. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Western Maine resident Heather over video conferencing to talk about her cancer survivorship experience at the recommendation of Dr. Leslie Bradford, GYN Oncologist.
In her career as a midwife, Heather was an active, outdoorsy type who enjoyed nature, energy therapies, her family, and pets. Her most significant medical issue was arthritis, for which she had foot surgery in 2013. At the age of 63, Heather had an onset of vaginal discharge. In October 2017, she had vaginal pain along with the discharge, and was told she was experiencing vaginal dryness due to her age. As a midwife, she knew that wasn’t normal and that she needed to be assessed. She saw her primary care physician the following January and was scheduled for a hysteroscopy and a biopsy in New Hampshire. That February, 2018, the diagnosis of uterine cancer was identified. She had a complete hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) in March, 2018, and was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer, with a 1% chance of recurrence. She continued to have some bleeding and pain, and in June 2018, she ultimately saw Leslie Bradford of The Maine Medical Partners GYN Oncology Program. She did an MRI and found that there was metastatic tumor between the bladder and the rectum, which was non-operable. Heather was subsequently recommended to have external beam radiation therapy, and thankfully, those 35 treatments resulted in no evidence of disease on followup MRI.
Unfortunately, Heather experienced residual damage to her vagina and a section of her colon. She had some long term effects that became chronic, including pain, bowel and bladder frequency and urgency, gastroenteritis/ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. She tried limiting herself to a bland/no spice diet, which also included no fiber or fresh fruits or vegetables, with some success. It did, however, limit her ability to eat out in restaurants. She also had radiation fibrosis in her vagina, making it essentially impossible to have vaginal intercourse. She saw three excellent pelvic floor physical therapists who attempted to address the painful internal spasms and dilate her vagina. Dr. Bradford did pelvic exams under anesthesia with the intention of stretching the vaginal opening. For the deep wound causing rectal bleeding and ulcerative colitis, Heather qualified for hyperbaric oxygen treatments (which can help support healing of damaged tissues in certain circumstances). After 79 sessions, each with a three-hour commute, she had no significant improvement.
Being an herbalist, and interested in naturopathic treatments, Heather ultimately sought different mechanisms of support. She states, “Everybody's journey is different.”
She began weekly counseling, which ultimately transitioned to monthly sessions. She takes soaks in the bathtub, which she finds very helpful. She uses heating pads, a peri bottle, and she makes her own salves as an herbalist. She sometimes goes pantless, since sneezing and coughing can burn and this seems to help. She also has tried acupuncture and massage therapy. She also gives herself Reiki, as she’s a Reiki practitioner.
She has lots of good friends, a large family, and furry friends for support (she has 11 grandchildren and 11 grand dogs!). Her loving husband Dana is also very supportive. “We joke a lot…he makes me laugh, which is great.”
Unfortunately, her hyperbaric oxygen treatments resulted in cataracts which she had to have surgery to correct. And since all of her health concerns, her husband has also struggled with blood clots in his lungs, a connective tissue disorder, as well as his own cancer diagnosis of leukemia in May, 2022. He also has progressive hearing loss due to Meniere’s disease (an inner ear disorder). Heather is now his “ears” and his advocate, and manages his extensive health care, doctor’s appointments, medications, and all phone calls.
According to Heather, “One of the hardest hurdles was being told by a radiologist that I would never get better. An oncologist told me I had the worst case of tissue damage they had ever seen, and a pelvic floor physical therapist told me there was no hope for my vagina.” In spite of the hand she’s been dealt, Heather has been able to find acceptance and strategies to cope.
“I’ve had to accept my new reality, but I’m grateful to be here.” Her strategy is really one of self-advocacy and she ultimately realizes that sometimes you need to fight to get the help you need, or to expedite that help. She is an optimist, and channels her attitude of gratitude.
Heather also enjoys doing shadow work, which is a concept that encourages exploration of the side of us that stays hidden or repressed, and integration of it with our conscious self.
She also uses a spiritual checklist. Envision a list of the things you want to do in the left column, with corresponding things to practice in the right column. Some examples are: if you want acceptance, you should practice unconditional love; if you want adventure, you should practice spontaneity.
Heather’s mother Shirley (now 91), and her Golden Retriever Zoey, are also cancer survivors. They were both diagnosed the same year as Heather, in 2018. That same year a grandson, Oak, was born.
Above: Heather at home with Zoey.
Below: Heather with her mother Shirley, left.
Heather especially loves to be a Nana, and plays games with Oak weekly. She hopes that by sharing her story of resilience and ways of coping, she can inspire other survivors to ask for help when needed, and explore different options to provide support in recovery.
