Hometown: Guam
Resides: Hawaii
I AM
NAOMI
AND THIS IS MY STORY
The obstacle I was dealt with three years ago was receiving the news that I had a rare form of lymphoma cancer. Although quite rare, my oncologist said it was a curable one. Great, HOPE!
Before it was known that I had cancer, it started out that I was experiencing extreme lower back pain. My doctors (military) didn’t know what the cause of it was and just claimed it to be muscle spasms. I had to take several x-rays (which didn’t show anything wrong) and several pain medications (which only lasted so long in relieving the pain) before actually getting referred to get an MRI. All the while, I was losing a lot of weight and couldn’t really stomach much when I had to eat. The day finally came for me to get the MRI. I received a call later that night from the Urgent Care Center (UCC) at the clinic. I was told that I needed to get to the UCC as soon as possible, because my L2 (lumbar) vertebra was completely gone and that if I had walked around much longer I could’ve broken my spine and caused myself to become paralyzed. Needless to say, everything happened so fast from that point on. My husband took me to the urgent care, stayed a while to find out what was going on, and then had to go home and grab some personal items, because we were told that I shouldn’t plan on being able to go back home. From that night on so many tests were run that I was getting poked with needles every now and then. Besides the broken back, they also found out I had some kind of bacterial infection. So I was pretty much stuck in a small room and had to be isolated for a while. Because we were stationed in Japan, the hospitals were somewhat limited in being able to find out what my diagnosis was that I eventually had to get medevac to Hawaii to do further tests and get a biopsy done. One stop and two plane trips later (being bed ridden the entire time), my husband and I finally landed in Hawaii. A few days later and after meeting with a bunch of doctors, I was able to have a biopsy done. I was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma cancer. Besides being diagnosed with cancer, I also had to go through major back surgery in order to stabilize my spine. Fortunately enough the surgery and my recovery went well that I was able to try walking the very next day after having being bed ridden for a few weeks. About a week and a half later I had to start chemotherapy, which then had to be done once every two to three weeks. After eight cycles of chemotherapy I went into remission and have been free of the disease for almost two years now. However, I still have a few more years to go to be declared “cancer free”, so I’m still keeping my faith strong.
The obstacle I was dealt with three years ago was receiving the news that I had a rare form of lymphoma cancer. Although quite rare, my oncologist said it was a curable one. Great, HOPE!
Before it was known that I had cancer, it started out that I was experiencing extreme lower back pain. My doctors (military) didn’t know what the cause of it was and just claimed it to be muscle spasms. I had to take several x-rays (which didn’t show anything wrong) and several pain medications (which only lasted so long in relieving the pain) before actually getting referred to get an MRI. All the while, I was losing a lot of weight and couldn’t really stomach much when I had to eat. The day finally came for me to get the MRI. I received a call later that night from the Urgent Care Center (UCC) at the clinic. I was told that I needed to get to the UCC as soon as possible, because my L2 (lumbar) vertebra was completely gone and that if I had walked around much longer I could’ve broken my spine and caused myself to become paralyzed. Needless to say, everything happened so fast from that point on. My husband took me to the urgent care, stayed a while to find out what was going on, and then had to go home and grab some personal items, because we were told that I shouldn’t plan on being able to go back home. From that night on so many tests were run that I was getting poked with needles every now and then. Besides the broken back, they also found out I had some kind of bacterial infection. So I was pretty much stuck in a small room and had to be isolated for a while. Because we were stationed in Japan, the hospitals were somewhat limited in being able to find out what my diagnosis was that I eventually had to get medevac to Hawaii to do further tests and get a biopsy done. One stop and two plane trips later (being bed ridden the entire time), my husband and I finally landed in Hawaii. A few days later and after meeting with a bunch of doctors, I was able to have a biopsy done. I was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma cancer. Besides being diagnosed with cancer, I also had to go through major back surgery in order to stabilize my spine. Fortunately enough the surgery and my recovery went well that I was able to try walking the very next day after having being bed ridden for a few weeks. About a week and a half later I had to start chemotherapy, which then had to be done once every two to three weeks. After eight cycles of chemotherapy I went into remission and have been free of the disease for almost two years now. However, I still have a few more years to go to be declared “cancer free”, so I’m still keeping my faith strong.
Although it didn’t hit me right away, I was deeply affected. Having cancer was the last thought on my mind. Everyone I was close with (family and friends) were all affected too, because I’m sure it was the last thing on their minds as well as to what could be wrong. My husband and I were also affected in a way where we had to leave everything we had in Japan behind for a while, even our dog. The only thing we couldn’t get back was the relationships we had built with the people we met there. Yes there’s Facebook, Skype, and e-mails, but those things don’t make it feel the same as it would have been if we were still around. My husband and I dealt with the situation as it came by taking it day-by-day. The major thing that helped us deal with the situation was that we had so much support from friends, family, and even complete strangers (near and far). My husband and I always looked to our faith every day, especially during the most difficult times. Not only was it our faith that kept us strong, it was the prayers from our friends and family that helped us as well. Just knowing that we were in others’ thoughts and prayers made us believe that we were able to fight the disease and make it through. My husband & I were told that there’s a possibility we may not be able to conceive due to the medications I received during treatment. After a while we were both settled upon that idea that we would talk about adoption if it had to come down to that, because we really wanted to have kids. Fortunately for us we were blessed with the news last September that we were three months pregnant. I am now seven months along and getting closer to my due date. We still find ourselves in shock every now & then (even if I made it this far along), because we realize how much we have gone through over the last couple of years. Our little one on the way is the biggest miracle we feel we have been blessed with and we’re definitely looking forward to his arrival!
My message of HOPE to you...
Those going through any obstacle in their life is to believe in yourself, believe in your faith and trust that you CAN get through what you are going through, especially with support from others – family, friends, and even strangers. You might have your really tough days, but sometimes there are others out there who have it even worse. Be thankful that you’re able to live the life you have been given, even though it comes with its troubles.
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