What stuck with Parr was that she wasn’t going to die, and that’s all she needed to give her the strength to keep fighting. Surgery was performed to remove the tumor on her brain. Parr then began a weekly regimen of intravenous chemotherapy that stretched over the next four and a half years, as well as three weeks of radiation therapy. “One of the hardest parts was the fear of losing my hair,” notes Parr. It finally happened with just three days left of radiation treatments. “I worried and worried about it,” she says. “But once it was gone, it really wasn’t that bad. I just added hats, scarves, and wigs to my wardrobe.” Parr believes her positive attitude is why she is still alive today. “I always tried to live in positivity,” she says. “I would visualize myself in the future, happy and healthy again.” It’s been almost five years since her diagnosis, and Parr has been cancerfree for the past three and a half years. “I live in the moment now,” says Parr. “Things that were important before—material things, like clothes—just aren’t as important anymore.” Parr had to quit her job shortly after her diagnosis due to the length and frequency of her treatments. She is now is planning to write a book about her cancer experience to help others with their journey. “I feel like there is a reason why I lived so, now I want to make some sort of contribution to the world to help others,” says Parr.
Amy Parr
Dr. Margaret Block and the nationally recognized Nebraska Cancer Specialists are at the forefront of cancer diagnosis, treatment and research. *Nationally Recognized in Clinical Trials and Oncology Research by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Margaret Block, M.D. M. Salman Haroon, M.D. Ralph J. Hauke, M.D. Timothy K. Huyck, M.D. Robert M. Langdon, Jr., M.D. Kirsten M. Leu, M.D. John M. Longo, M.D.
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Patrick J. McKenna, M.D. Geetha Palaniappan, M.D. David A. Silverberg, M.D. Gamini S. Soori, M.D. Yungpo Bernard Su, M.D. Stefano R. Tarantolo, M.D. Peter M. Townley, M.D.
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nebraskacancer.com Her Living • June/July 2012
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