For me, going back to
school was a daunting task! After all, I have not been in school for many
years. The fears of not doing well had me a little scared. I did not believe I could meet the challenges
that school would offer. Many thoughts
ran through my head.
- Funding was a concern.
- Was I savvy enough on all the computer work I would be facing?
- Would I be able to accomplish all the school work and studying I would need to do?
- Going into a field I was for the most part, unfamiliar with.
My husband and I moved to Indiana to be near the grand-kids and have a better life where we would be able to afford a house and live out the rest of our lives. I had been recovering from a cervical spinal fusion and still was not able to work in the first year after.
I made a valiant attempt to go back into the workforce. It wasn't easy finding a job that met my physical restrictions.
I tried for months
looking for a position online and directly applying at businesses. No one was giving me the opportunity to meet
the goals of the companies I applied at.
Every application I filled out online somehow was tied to a college
degree program of some kind. The Telemarketers' were calling day night and
offered glorious college opportunities.
So finally, I caved and investigated the local colleges and liked the
Sanford Brown College program the best.
By the Grace of God we found the funding. Once that happened, I knew I had to have the
drive to accomplish it.
The campus was safe and
not downtown. I really don't like
traffic. So it was the right fit
although it was 16 miles from the house.
News of Cancer in the third
week.
Since I started college, I needed to establish some
goals. My first goal was to have perfect attendance. My second goal was to
accomplish the best grades in my classes. The third goal was to complete the
courses successfully.
Into the third week of my first MOD, I received a call
from the Woman's Center at IU West. They
needed to see me again. It made me
freeze up to hear that. I knew what that
meant. More tests. My mammogram was not
negative for the first time in my life. The following Tuesday I would hear the
words. "You have stage 1 breast
cancer."
When Cindy, my cancer coordination nurse, gave me the
news, all I could say was "What about school?" She said to me, "I just told you that
you have cancer". I guess I wasn't
accepting it. I just wanted to know how
that was going to affect my classes. I finished out the MOD. A MOD being 5 weeks with a perfect attendance
as planned. I questioned myself "How am I going to deal with cancer and go
to school and accomplish my goals?"
Leave of Absence.
I was granted my 15 week leave of absence. I took care
of business and the cancer was removed successfully, but I was not done
yet. Chemo started in December19, 2011
and ended in May of the following year. I started out journaling my experience
on a daily blog. My son, Adrian, put
together a cool video of my hair being shaved off. He had the honor of shaving
it the day before my chemotherapy began, which happened to be my grandson Hanks
birthday.
I went back to school in February of 2012 believing I could handle the treatments
and going to classes.
Back to school for second
MOD.
I was very excited to go back to classes. However, into the fourth week I had a bad
reaction to the chemotherapy (#5). I was
doing great till the last week.
Fortunately, my husband had taken vacation days that week for our
anniversary and my birthday. It was either he drives me or I don't go. I wanted my perfect attendance so I completed
the MOD. It wasn't easy with my hands
and feet burning and not being able to eat right that week. However, I finished the week and finished the
MOD with a perfect attendance.
The Cancer and the treatments were not going to stop
me from my goals. My tag line was Cancer Won't Define Me~.
LOA again I thought,
instead did online classes.
I didn't think I could do it. Never having taken a class online before was scary. With the support of my husband, the doctors, nurses and school staff I got through it in spite of the treatments I was going through.
It got real interesting
when my studies went along with my treatments.
I was having issues with my blood levels and that was the lesson of the
week. It went on like that throughout
the online studies. I had some of the
most wonderful teachers that I have never seen in person, however, I felt they
really cared and were very supportive of what I was going through. It eased my mind when I asked questions about
the treatments and what we were studying that week. Cancer is scary in itself. But how many have that medical information at
hand. Same with the nurse that would
tell me what I was going through each time I went in and she would tell me
about my blood tests before having treatment.
If it was too low, I knew what I had to do to bring it back up because I
learned it in my lessons the previous week.
As I mentioned, I had a
bad reaction to the chemo cocktail on March 8th. So now I was going to the treatments every
week instead of every 3 week, for 9 more treatments.
I turned in my papers,
did my discussion group questions on time, responded to the classmate's posts
and participated in the weekly class online.
My attendance was noted
as perfect attendance still. I was
excited when I would get my certificates in the mail. The first President's Award was crazy
exciting. Why am I telling about all my
accomplishments? It proves that Cancer
Won't Define You. You can put your mind
to anything and succeed. Just because
you have an illness or disability, as long as you have a positive attitude, you
can overcome illness and accomplish many things.
Online classes were over
after my radiation was completed.
However, there are always more things to do before you can get back to
the active life. Tests to make sure the
tumors are gone and visits to the Oncologist, the Radiologist, Surgeon and the
GP Doctors. They all gave me the go
ahead to attend classes on campus again. One note was not to sit near anyone
that was sick. I still had a low immune
system due to the chemo.
Back to school in
October.
The first MOD was exciting and easy. I needed easy. I had wonderful teachers. I was the only student in my second class
with Ms McAdams. Holy Smokes! I had a
load of homework. The best way to learn to
code was to keep on coding.
The second MOD, Ms McAdams was my only class. Had I not done all the online classes, those
would have been my second class. So I
thought this was so cool and was going to be easy to take just one class. That
dream changed at the end of this MOD. I
was asked to go to night school. This
was so I would have other classmates and finish with other students that were
on the same schedule as me to complete.
Started Externship in July
at Franciscan Alliance ABO office.
Externship was a great experience. However, fear tried to set in again when
Kathleen and I were told we would be in the Collection's department. That was the last thing I wanted to do. The phones are a problem for me
sometimes. I don't mind talking to
people, but I have trouble on phones sometimes because of my selective
hearing. (joke)
As the weeks went on and the training was very good, I
loved the job. And we were not calling patients to collect. Whew! Claim inquiry is a great
challenge. Working to resolve the
delayed payments for whatever reason is like detective work. Once you get the just of it, it isn't
bad. I was kind of sad when the coarse
ended. I met a lot of very nice people
and had the best trainers I could ever have imagined.
Completed Externship in
August.
After the cancer journey and making it my goal to
finish school with a perfect attendance, I needed a much desired break. Took a bit of time to unpack the house since
we just moved, vacationed in California to see the family and then get ready to
graduate.
Look forward to working
again.
In the middle of World War II, the Prime Minister of
Great Brittan, Winston Churchill, quoted in a radio address to his people
saying, "we shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...give
us the tools and we will finish the job.
I believe in those words even today!
I shall not fail or falter; I shall not weaken or tire...I
now have the tools and I did finish the job.
I look forward to a healthy life and working in the
career I trained hard in. I look forward
to helping everyone get their medical bills coded properly in the future.
Thank you Sanford Brown and all the people who
supported me through this exciting journey.
Cancer
Did not Define Me~
