Lourdes and James have been a couple for 38 years and partners in the journey of cancer care. Lourdes was diagnosed with lung cancer when she had a routine chest x-ray in 2006. Lourdes, 65, is retired from a career with a major international organization in Washington, D.C. and proud mother of two sons, the oldest a lawyer, the youngest a doctor. When she doesn't have chemotherapy she feels fine but still struggles with pain in her lower back and feeling tired a lot.
"Well, in my case, it was very, very tough but we have a son who is a doctor and he made me more aware of what to expect so that was a big help. But then of course, it was the not knowing…" recalls Lourdes.
Throughout her cancer journey, Lourdes has been very involved in her treatment plan. After having surgery she was sent to a medical oncologist. They established a rapport that would lead her to the clinical trial she is currently on.
"Being alive after 2 years is a big thing. I mean, you think that after you are diagnosed, you have a few months to live." James recalls, "No one wanted to guarantee that Lourdes would live beyond a year." When Lourdes asked her oncologist if she was terminal, he reassured her by telling her, "We are all terminal cases, you know." Lourdes appreciated his candor and upbeat remarks.
Lourdes recalls being told after her diagnosis that she would have to create a new approach to life and that has stayed with her. James says, "After you're over the crisis that your spouse may die soon and find her cancer is treatable, then you have to get used to a new normal because the old normal isn't there anymore. You have to go on living and there are advantages as well as disadvantages to the new normal. There are things we often postpone in life and if you're smart about it, you say, where do we want to go?, what do you want to do?, and you put these things ahead on your agenda." The first year after Lourdes was diagnosed, she and James traveled to France, Arizona, Las Vegas, Chicago, California and the Philippines, Lou's native country. Their journey continues, together.
Hear Lourdes in her own words
<< previous story | next story >>
