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Someone You Should
Know
Charlotte Pleviak, IL
In February 1982, three months after the birth of her second
child, Charlotte Pleviak noticed a lump in her groin. "I assumed it was related
to the pregnancy," she said, but after a biopsy, her doctor said she had
lymphoma.
The good news was that the disease was localized_tests did not
detect the cancer anywhere else in her body. But after undergoing radiation in
May and June, the lymphoma recurred the following February, this time on the
other side of her groin. Another round of localized radiation seemed to solve
the problem and Charlotte remained disease free for 4 years.
In February 1987 the lymphoma returned. "It was starting to look
like February was my unlucky month," said Charlotte. This time the cancer had
spread to her neck and her oncologist was uncertain about what to do. "I
consulted another oncologist who was familiar with a new treatment for lymphoma
patients_bone marrow transplantation. Although the lymphoma had gone into
remission on its own by the time I saw the doctor, he said it would undoubtedly
recur. He recommended that my two brothers be tested as possible bone marrow
donors. Jerry turned out to be a perfect match."
In the fall of 1987 the lymphoma came back and in February 1988,
after consulting with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle,
Charlotte decided to have the transplant. "It was a hard decision. None of the
doctors would say 'this is definitely what you should or shouldn't do,' but I
knew that a BMT was my only chance at a cure so I decided to take it."
Leaving 8-year-old Katy and 6-year-old Tommy in the care of their
grandparents, Charlotte and her husband John left for Seattle in February. "My
BMT was a textbook case," said Charlotte. "I only had a mild case of GVHD. I
also had mouth sores, but they weren't so bad. I had trouble keeping some of
the rotten tasting liquid medications down, but found that putting them in
capsules helped. Forget about trying to disguise their taste in chocolate milk
or OJ_it doesn't work! I survived on popsicles_grape were best, root beer were
ok, and orange were too acidic_while the mouth sores persisted."
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Did you keep a diary of
your BMT experience?
BMT Newsletter would like to compile some patient diaries
into a book to help give prospective BMT patients a better picture of what life
is like during transplant. If you kept a diary and would be willing to share it
with others, please send a photocopy to BMT Newsletter, 2900 Skokie Valley
Road, Highland Park IL 60035. Be sure to include your phone number so we can
contact you if there are questions. |
"Although I missed my children, it was nice to have time to
recover after my discharge without homefront responsibilities. I stayed in
Seattle in an apartment for two months post-transplant, while my husband
returned home to look after the kids with the help of his parents. My parents
stayed with me in Seattle and took care of the shopping and cleaning so I could
relax and focus on getting better."
Charlotte went home in July "but it really wasn't until the fall
that I started feeling 100% normal," she recalls. "Today I feel fine--no
problems whatsoever. I just had my five-year checkup in Seattle and they gave
me a clean bill of health."
Her advice to others: "Let your friends and extended family
members know that a BMT is a family affair. There are more people than just the
patient who need support. I felt like the star. When people would see my
husband or children they'd say 'How's Char?' or 'How's your mom?' They'd never
say 'How are YOU doing?' I later learned that my sister-in-law felt insecure
while her husband Jerry (my donor) was with me for six weeks in Seattle. If
people know in advance that the whole family needs moral support, not just the
patient, they'll be happy to respond." |
