Local cancer survivors share lifesaving message
Mothers and daughters share a special bond, perhaps none more so than Maureen Beeter and Debbie Fager of Roselle, who share individual cancer journeys, a strong family bond and inspiring messages of determination, hope and survivorship.
Their journeys were different - breast cancer and appendiceal cancer - but their resilience, family bond and strength are inspiring. The duo is among the more than 14 million Americans living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis and celebrating cancer survivorship this month. According to the American Cancer Society, some 578,840 Illinoisans, including Beeter and Fager, will celebrate survivorship this month.
From treadmill to cancer
As a 41-year-old suburban mom of two, Debbie Fager knew something was amiss in November 2001 when she developed a pain in her lower right side while exercising.
"I thought it was a pulled muscle and didn't think too much of it, hoping the injury would heal on its own," recalls Fager, who says she eventually went to the doctor. "My primary care doctor suspected a pulled groin muscle and gave me anti-inflammatory medication, but after six months it didn't get any better."
Subsequent blood tests and a CT scan sent her to a surgeon, who told Fager she might have a rare appendix cancer which tends to strike people her age.
"I was shocked and panicked to hear the word cancer," says Fager.
A six-hour surgery confirmed her worst nightmare - stage 4 appendiceal cancer.
PMP is the abbreviation for pseudomyxoma peritonei, which is a rare condition characterized by mucin-producing tumors in the abdomen. There are a number of possible origins of PMP, but by far the most common source is the appendix.
Estimates vary, but PMP is considered very rare. It was once thought to be diagnosed in about 1,000 people worldwide each year; in other words, the lifetime odds of being diagnosed with PMP are about one in a million.
However, specialists now believe it is more common than was once thought, closer to one person diagnosed per 500,000 people per year - possibly due to a misdiagnosis of colon cancer. Recent research indicates that the incidence may even be much higher than that.
The news left Fager, her husband, Howie, and the rest of her family numb. As they consulted with two oncologists in downtown Chicago, they were given little hope for long-term survival. Chemotherapy was the recommended treatment, with no mention of any other options.
Finding hope
Fager was referred locally to an oncologist who supervised her treatment and also mentioned the name of Dr. Paul Sugarbaker during her first visit. He is the Washington D.C.-based surgeon who pioneered a treatment protocol, which at the time, was considered radical for appendiceal cancer.
Fager began local sessions of chemotherapy and experienced the difficult side effects of treatment. An abscess and a pulmonary embolism led to more time in the hospital, and she was very grateful to family and friends who took over at home, helping to provide care for children Danny and Katie, then ages 12 and 10.
"While my husband scrambled to maintain a regular work schedule, support the kids, supervise my care and keep me emotionally positive, my friends and family hired a cleaning lady, cooked meals and prayed the rosary every week," Fager says. "I was weak and very afraid."
During this time, her family did lots of research on the Internet and, "Dr. Sugarbaker's name kept popping up," she recalls.
Finally, when a close friend suggested looking at alternatives to chemotherapy, the question was raised to her oncologist: "If you were 41 years old, with two young children and didn't want to die, what would you do?"
Her doctor suggested that she contact Dr. Sugarbaker, that he was her only chance at a more long-term chance at surviving.
Fager and her husband met with Dr. Sugarbaker in Washington that March and learned she was a candidate for the procedure. She returned home to exercise, prepare for surgery, and continue with chemo.
Strength for the journey
In early summer, friends planned an outdoor Mass for the family, centering on the theme "Strength for the Journey."
That strength is something she and her family drew upon during the 13-hour surgical procedure which included a heated chemotherapy bath (HIPEC) of the abdomen while still open and the insertion of tubes for five days of post-op chemotherapy. She had to be rotated every half-hour for the first five days and says she remembers little of the 15-day hospital stay.
Additional precautionary chemotherapy was ordered and six months later she returned to Washington for an ostomy reversal and to begin the official healing process. Follow-up CT scans 10 months later yielded news of a metastasis to her lungs, but since a lung resection in 2003 Fager has been cancer-free.
"Cancer has changed me forever," says Fager, who notes that through the experience she was able to witness the kindness of so many, especially strangers.
"It brought me to tears more than once. My family is closer because of the experience."
Fager says she is forever grateful for surgeons like Dr. Sugarbaker who dedicate their lives to saving people like herself.
"I learned many things," she says. "You need to be your own advocate or have someone advocate for you. Since my cancer was rare, most doctors wanted to treat it like colon cancer and not one mentioned Dr. Sugarbaker, who had been doing the HIPEC surgery for at least 10 years. If you are diagnosed with appendiceal cancer, you need to see a surgeon who specializes in this disease."
She also discovered her faith is stronger than she suspected.
"I turned to God from day one and many times during my illness I could sense his presence and knew he had a plan for me," she says.
In addition to being an awesome mom and wife, Fager, who currently works for the American Cancer Society in Oakbrook Terrace as the DuPage Hospital Systems Manager, says she often is able to share her experience and give hope to others.
Fager also volunteers for the PMP Research Foundation, whose mission is to fund promising research to find a cure for appendiceal cancer, and related peritoneal surface malignancies, and to fund educational programs for physicians and patients.
This fall she is working to support the HIPEC program at Edward Hospital in Naperville with an Oct. 6 educational symposium featuring Dr. Sugarbaker, who invented the HIPEC procedure, and Dr. George Salti, who heads the program at Edward.
For information on the program, call Edward Surgical Oncology at (630) 646-6020. For appendiceal cancer information and support, and more on the HIPEC surgery, visit the PMP Research Foundation at www.pmpcure.org.
Driven to action
When daughter, Debbie Fager, learned of her stage 4 appendiceal cancer diagnosis at age 41, Roselle resident Maureen Beeter, 76, says she was literally driven to action.
"Of course, I wanted to do anything I could to help Debbie through her diagnosis and ensure others didn't have to go through the same thing," says Beeter, a retired FM Global engineering assistant, mother of four and grandmother to nine, ages 11-26.
That's when Beeter learned of the American Cancer Society's Road To Recovery, a program pairing volunteer drivers with cancer patients needing rides to and from treatment. The first year as a volunteer driver, Beeter, recalls logging 5,000 miles in the car, sharing stories of her daughter's amazing survivorship following a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and offering hope to those facing a cancer battle.
"Volunteering filled me with joy and gave me hope," says Beeter, who looked forward to her frequent commutes to hospitals and cancer treatment facilities throughout the suburbs. "I got to know many of the riders well, especially those needing daily rides for radiation or chemotherapy. Their stories were uplifting and gave me hope when I eventually learned of my own cancer diagnosis."
Two years ago during a routine mammogram, Beeter learned that she, too, had cancer.
"Luckily," she says, "it was early and localized," requiring only lumpectomy surgery at nearby Amita Health's Alexian Brothers Medical Center.
"My daughter and I frequently joke that it is like I had cancer for a day," she says.
Today, Beeter is back on the road, having logged 10,000 miles as a volunteer driver for Road To Recovery. In addition, she keeps close tabs on her extended family, frequently sharing before- and after-school duties caring for her grandchildren. She is an active volunteer and minister of Communion to the sick at St. Walter Parish in Roselle, an avid Cubs fan, golfer and bowler.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a global grass-roots force of more than 3 million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the society's efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to their progress, nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year. They are finding cures as the nation's largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air and more. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call anytime, day or night, (800) 227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org/fight.