February 2001                                                    The Megaphone                                                                  Page 7

by Sharon (Benedict) Hurst

   Last Thursday on January 18, 2001, 4 ½ years after having surgery for breast cancer, I called the Breast Center at the Cancer Pavilion at IU Med Center to tell them I had found another lump. My surgeon, Dr. Robert Goulet . . . a brilliant surgeon who can not sing a note . . . tried to get me in for a mammogram on Friday. However, 8:00 AM on Monday, January 22, was the first appointment available. This did not make for a whee-oooo weekend needless to say.

   This morning, the 22nd, we were blessed with good traffic flow. Some days it is pretty bad with the road systems they have around Indianapolis. I went in to have my mammogram, along with 2 or three extra views . . . where the tech says now this is when it really squeezes. OUCH!  My X-ray folder at IU is 2 inches thick and very heavy.  But Joe and I made it through University Hospital all the way to the 2nd floor of the Cancer Pavilion while carrying this huge folder. The Pavilion is truly a beautiful building and each floor has it's specific use.  The Women's Health and Breast Center is on the 2 floor and Dr. Goulet is the director of this center as well as a professor of surgery at the Med School.

   We presented ourselves at the reception desk and signed in.  Within 10 minutes, we were called to go back to the clinic. This clinic is unique in that the patient enters a treatment room and each physician they are to see comes to that room.  There is no running from one area to another, very convenient for patients.

   Dr. Goulet, who is working me in between his surgeries this morning, comes in after we had waited a little longer than usual and apologizes for keeping us waiting. He then says he is going to look at the films and will be right back, and he is only gone for a few minutes.  When he comes back he tells me that he did not see anything, then I have my exam. The Doctor determines that it is probably a good idea to get a FNB, or what is called a Fine Needle Biopsy. In a short time there are 2 pathologists and a cyto-technician there in the room with Joe and me. They will do a series of three aspirations, or withdrawal of cells, with the smallest of the needles, hence the term Fine Needle Biopsy. They prepare two sets of slides from  each aspiration, one to be stained and examined immediately and one to sent to cytology for more intense study.  This first set of aspirations were examined at the small lab that is part of the 2nd floor clinic and they had NO abnormal cells present. They then did 3 more aspirations with a slightly larger needle and went through the same procedure as with the first series.  After studying these slides there were still no abnormal cells found. At this time it was determined that this was not cancer that had returned but probably scar tissue that was beginning to show or something equally benign. As small as it was, and with the 6 samples, it may not be there anymore.   :-)   :-)   :-)

   I will be seen again in one month and if this lump has not disappeared, they will probably take it out but the consensus is that it will probably just go away. How can I tell you who read this what benefits there are in going to a physician who will make room for you on one of his very busy days and still give hello and good-bye hugs? Who will make sure that when you leave his clinic you know what is happening. Sometimes it is bad but sometimes it is good as it was today.  A physician shows the love he has for his patients in everything he does and says.

   How can I tell you who read this to -- Get Your Mammogram! They save lives and they take away worry when there is nothing to worry about. When I hear someone say, "I would, but they are so uncomfortable," I say to them, "My dears, you do not know what pain is." Surgery heals but when someone you love has cancer it is always present. No matter what kind of cancer and no matter how good the results of the treatments this disease is always present. For some it will always be "the elephant in the living room" . . . for others it can become "a box in the living room" but it changes lives forever. Each incident that most people do not think twice about becomes something that can not wait to be checked and no matter how sure you are that it is probably nothing, you cannot rest until it has been totally checked out. This is true not only of breast and colon cancer but prostate and cervical cancers. There are also testicular cancers that affect teens and young adult males. I am so amazed at how much education and awareness is needed. Not only by the lay persons but by medical personnel also.  Slowly but surely we here in Elwood are moving ahead with our education and awareness programs. If any of these articles, the one by Julie Duffit or mine, cause one person to stop and look and find out more then our sharing has done a good job.  If more than one person stops, looks, and goes to find more, then we have done a great job. Cancer, like any other illness can be treated successfully when it is found early.

   Education of cancer facts help to keep this early detection a valid medical tool. We must be aware that it is knowledge that offers the best prevention, the best protection and the ability to understand and make quick decisions for yourself or someone you love if necessary. There is not yet a magic elixir to keep this illness away but we can make sure that all of us are prepared and at the ready to do battle if it should be needed and to face this illness without fear of the unknown.

Nan aka Angel #2
Sharon (Benedict) Hurst '53
Now in Elwood, Indiana

by Sharon (Woods) Schwartz

  The morning was breathtaking . . . a slight breeze . . . sun just peeking over the mountain . . . my mountain . . . Squaw Peak . . . which can be seen from my backyard patio . . . filling the sky with its peach and pink glows of a new day dawning . . . a new beginning . . . the time about 7:30 a.m. Arizona time . . . grabbing my sweats . . . I slipped them on . . . put on my walking shoes and closing the door behind me . . . the beauty and the magic of the moment . . . was about to begin . . . I turn right and proceed up the incline . . . not quite a hill . . . and head for the foothills of the mountain preserve . . . by now the sky is even glowing more brilliantly . . . the air so refreshing . . . I go into the mountains . . . a desert dirt path takes me there . . . I find a large boulder and pause to drink in this moment . . . as I look around the mountains seem to be etched against the sky . . . as if you could peel them off . . . and put them in your pocket . . . gray-pink in color . . . a haze cloaking them just enough that they seem surreal . . . above them the azure blue sky . . . with just a few clouds to ride on . . . taking you to places yet to be explored . . . I feel the slight cool breeze brush against my face . . . so healing to the soul . . . I close my eyes and the sweetest and purest of music from the songs of the desert birds . . . wraps around me . . . and I for one moment in time . . . fly with them . . . I open my eyes and glance at the desert floor . . . a blaze of light greets me . . . blinding but amazingly hypnotizing . . . sunbeams reflecting on the stones and rocks . . . mirrors . . . giving off their own gift to the world . . . I listen . . . "Hush...do you hear it?" . . . the cry of the jackrabbit . . . like a baby wailing . . . the rustle in the bushes . . . "Oh look!" . . . a family of quail . . . so precious . . . as they scurry quickly to find food . . . even the tiny tiny ants have their place in the sun today . . . following one another in seemingly never ending line . . . marching to the beat of their own drummer . . . I glance around and notice the cacti dotting the desert floor . . . the tall and stately sahuaro . . . with its organ pipe arms . . . reaching towards the heavens . . . the cholla . . . many slender arms . . . like fingers . . . and at the ends . . . like painted nails . . . coral blossoms . . . giving forth a life of their own . . . magical . . . the prickly pear . . . with its wax-like cream colored flowers . . . the yucca . . . a lovely cacti . . . I've rested and I have had my "moment in time" with mother earth in all her glory . . . I turn to go and as I do the wind kicks up and in the distance . . . I see a whirl of dust . . . reaching towards the sky . . . a funnel . . . known out in the west as a dust devil . . . another gift for those who allow themselves to see . . . I walk on down to my home . . . and as I do I glance back . . . just one more time to drink in God's beauty . . . I stretch out my arms . . . wanting to hug it all and take it home with me . . . and indeed I am for in my heart I will hold . . . treasure . . . and love it forever . . . I wish for all of you my dear and precious Panther family to open your eyes . . . your mind . . . your heart so you too can see . . . feel . . . and love the beauty around you . . . it is there . . . whether in a desert . . . down a country road . . . on an island . . . or even walking down a city street . . . just let it happen . . . your moment in time . . .

Bless each and everyone of you . . . I love you . . .
Sharon (Woods) Schwartz '55 

Phoenix, Arizona