WENDY HAMILTON
Real People Real Stories
Hope Heals
“
56
Y
by Jane Roser
ou never think it’s going to be you. You’re hearing it, but in your head, you’re thinking, ‘There’s some last bit of information I’m going to hear that’s going to make all this not be true.’ Then it sinks in when your doctor pauses and has nothing more to say. Then it’s real.” Currently the Chief Guest Engagement Officer at the Philadelphia Zoo, Wendy Hamilton left a hectic corporate job in the Spring of 2018 and decided to take a couple of months off to spend more time with her son. She wanted to take a breath, reconnect, enjoy the outdoors. Exactly six months later, she found it. “It was leaning on a vein, so I could see it,” Hamilton says. “If it hadn’t appeared this way, I wouldn’t have gone for screening when I did. With time, it only becomes worse and spreads.” Despite knowing the importance of annual mammograms, Hamilton said she “got busy” and delayed her appointment. “I’ll do it tomorrow, I’ll do it next week… you have to find those couple of hours and go. The earlier you catch this, the easier it can be to treat. If I had caught mine earlier, I might not have needed 16 months of treatment. But I’m grateful I found it when I did.” Hamilton was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive breast cancer and needed surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment. “I started with five months of chemo and lost all of my hair,” she says. “Then I had surgery, then radiation every weekday for a month.” Friends and family helped to keep her spirits up during this tumultuous time, which Hamilton spent concentrating on being a great mom and getting the treatment she needed. Hamilton said that it can be hard to put one foot in front of the other when going to the hospital is part of every week. “While treatment can be intense, never for one day did I feel sorry for myself,” she adds. “There are so many people in the same situation or worse. I’m one of the lucky ones and I never let myself forget that.” “We just made the best out of it,” Hamilton recalls. “My very last infusion was February 24th. I took framed photos of some chemo sessions for the nurses. It actually made me smile looking back through the pictures because we were always in there doing something goofy. We dressed up my IV stand with a jacket and hat. We had champagne one day. You have to make the best of it because it is no fun.” Hamilton had an outstanding team of doctors who she says are at the top of her list for “best humans ever.” She said they took the time to make sure she had all the information she needed about her treatment, new drugs,
| ROWHOME MAGAZINE |April / May / June 2020
decisions to be made and side effects to expect. Her Virtua/Penn medical team included her breast surgeon Dr. William Holaday, medical oncologist Dr. Rachel Levenbach, radiation oncologist Dr. Catherine Kim and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Alexander Au. Hamilton’s medical team recently gave her the “all clear” report and she is thrilled to be disease-free. On Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10th, Hamilton will join more than 10,000 others in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the 2020 Susan G. Komen Philadelphia More Than Pink Walk. Komen serves more than 7.4 million people in 15 counties. Every dollar raised from this event is maximized to not only save lives, but to educate men and women to practice optimal breast health. Donations also fund research to develop cures for every type of breast cancer. “Because of my work with Komen, I’ve been able to attend a number of their wonderful events,” Hamilton says. “I recently attended a research dinner at Penn where four Penn physicians who had received Komen research grants reported on their research progress. They told us where they’re going with treatment and how it can change the future. It was so uplifting. To hear the kind of things they’re exploring and where the treatment is going, it makes you believe that we are going to put this thing in a dumpster within our lifetime.” Hamilton was involved with Komen through her previous job as a corporate sponsor. She attended some of their events and knew Philadelphia’s Komen CEO Elaine Grobman. “Elaine was one of the first people to reach out when she heard I was diagnosed,” Hamilton says. “When she asked me if I’d be interested in being a chair for the More Than Pink Walk, I said ‘Yes, absolutely.’ It used to be the Race For the Cure, but a few years ago, Komen National changed the name to open it up to more people. Changing it to a walk instead of a race [makes it more inclusive].” Men, women and families who have been affected by breast cancer convene for this annual event. Hamilton encourages everyone to participate by walking, donating or both. “I would walk around the globe to help them raise money to beat this thing,” she says. “The work they’re doing is helping to improve screening, shorten treatment time, lengthen lives and give families more time together. To me, that’s the value of the walk. I have had the privilege of seeing where the funds go and it is very, very hopeful.” For more information or to register and donate, go to https://runsignup.com/ Race/PA/Philadelphia/Komen5K PRH gohomephilly.com