Cynthia and Judie
Left to right: Cynthia and Judie
By Judie, a Sister Study participant from California
On Easter Sunday of 1997, I was eagerly waiting to hear from my sister Cynthia. When she called and I heard the words, “Judie, I have bad news, I have breast cancer." This sent a wave of terror through me. Since I have been a radiologic technologist for my entire career with a mammography license, it made this news even worse to accept.
Cynthia had stage IV invasive breast cancer and they had told her husband and her that there was little that could be done. Her doctors told them about a clinical trial at the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, which she decided to join.
The next few months were a blur for all of us and she began participating in the medical aspects of the clinical trial. For me, being in California, three thousand miles away, it was just terrible to imagine all sorts of things. Since I did not have all the information, my fear as to what she was going through each day made the anxiety worse. One thing I did to cheer her up was to send her a note, postcard or letter with something positive written on it each day while she was undergoing chemo. I also purchased about twenty hats and sent them to her. (I was always the shopping sister.)
Cynthia was six years younger and my only sibling. We had a difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and a mother who tried her best to cope but had health issues of her own. So, I always felt that it was my responsibility to protect Cynthia and we remained each others best friend even though we were geographically apart.
I made a trip to Boston when Cynthia had a stem cell transplant in July of 1997 to support her during this difficult procedure. When I saw her original mammogram, I had to fight back my horror at what was on the films.. She had the transplant, a mastectomy and radiation all within the year and she started to recover and was able to resume her normal activities.
Cynthia was a school psychologist by training and an author, educator and an expert on dyslexia. She helped start a literacy program in her town and, although she never had children of her own, her life was devoted to helping children and families, so she was eager not to let her breast cancer stand in her way, and continued her writing.
We all were thankful that she was living normally and her life went on. We set up a standing time to talk on the phone and we e-mailedd each other almost everyday. We got even closer through this constant communication.
In 2001, the doctors found a spot on her liver and she was treated with medications for the next three years and began more aggressive treatments in early 2004. From her e-mails and calls, I could tell that the situation was not going well, but I still was unprepared to accept her death in August of 2004.
I heard about the Sister Study in early 2005, and decided to participate in Cynthia's memory.The study is designed to identify toxins in our environment that if reduced or avoided, we could prevent breast cancer. When I found out what was involved on my part to participate, it was an easy decision. The questionnaires were designed to be easy to fill out but required a bit of thought regarding my childhood and places we lived. The home examination was not not painful and it was made convenient by the nurse who visited my home.
I am proud to be a participant in this important study and urge other sisters to join so our daughters and granddaughters can benefit from the findings.