Linda Chitwood is one of the unsung hero, a warrior often forgotten in the horror of cancer linked to asbestos
She is a caregiver, a life she was treated there almost nine years when the husband Lannie Chitwood was suddenly diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The doctors gave her a death sentence. It essentially received, too, turning her world just as backwards.
She became one too many.
"Sometimes I think that caregivers are the forgotten victims in all this," said Linda from their home in rural southeastern Virginia. "When your life companion once healthy suddenly said he has 18 months to live, you feel helpless. It is devastating. The grieving process begins. You're never the same"
Her husband underwent extrapleural pneumonectomy aggressive (EPP) surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy at the Institute Cancer Duke in 07. He fought each subsequent offense. - With more radiation, more chemotherapy, more surgery and more angst - and remains alive today ..
Linda has been through it all
"there is such a range of emotions that you go through a caregiver, "she said. "It just dominates your life, blows to smithereens all the plans you had. I went through a period where I was resentful, then felt guilty for being resentful. But you are also very thankful for the good medical care and grateful for all the good times we had together. he could have died long ago. "
an unlikely victim
Lannie was a probable victim of mesothelioma, a rare cancer aggressive and most often caused by occupational exposure to asbestos. He was in a low-risk profession, Virginia gamekeeper who worked in the fresh air every day. He never worked in coastal shipyards Virginia, urban factories and construction zones where exposure to asbestos is more common.
Yet he was diagnosed at age 57, one year after early retirement. He was healthy and happy, and try to speak Linda (three years younger) in planning for early retirement, too. She was a nurse, and they have been mapping their future together.
Her diagnosis changed everything for them.
"At first I was overwhelmed, scared, without positive feelings whatsoever. When you are in your 50s, you're eager to anything you can do in retirement, then a boom, all your dreams are gone, "said Linda. "I have not had a glimmer of hope."
what she learned, though, after wading through the pessimism that comes with the initial diagnosis was that long odds can be beaten. a good quality of life is achievable.. And caregivers can continue their lives, too
She has written a book to offer Hope
in 2012, Linda published "Faith Fear 2 :. Our journey through mesothelioma "is a book open their eyes to the ups and downs, heartaches and heartwarming stories that have helped others deal with a diagnosis of mesothelioma. She now speaks a lot about his faith in God.
"with the book, I just wanted to let people know there is hope out there. Mesothelioma should not be the end of the line, not necessarily a death sentence. Originally, I saw murder as slow as depressed everyone, "she said." But Lannie continued with a relatively good quality of life. There may be reason for optimism. "
She talks about the importance of finding a great medical care and a specialized center that truly understands the disease. At Duke they found Dr. David Harpole, leading thoracic surgeon who specializes in mesothelioma .
they made the three-hour trip to Duke many times they memorized each panel along Interstate 85. they know every bump in the road and all the trees along the way.
for a typical session of chemotherapy, they leave home at 6 am and return home to 9 pm for her, it is a day off and a day with her husband. he recently completed 17 days treatment with radiation spread over four weeks, hoping to stop the growth of tumor last near his esophagus.
Before that, he was a four-week cycle of chemotherapy to stop tumor growth-threatening spinal cord. These trips to Duke have been stable over the last 8 1/2 years.
They are not going to the football games at Virginia Tech the weekend as they once loved. They abandoned plans for an extended vacation in New England, where she grew up, to see the fall foliage
Nursing Background helped
Being a nurse -. And understanding the best health care system than most - has been a blessing for Linda. She was the one who originally heard the lungs of her husband, rushed to the hospital and began the process of diagnosis. It can make the difference today between a severe reaction and a reaction not so serious.
"Overall, being a nurse helped. I know how to navigate the health care system, most people do not. I knew what questions to ask, and when to call the doctor. I knew what mesothelioma was too, "she said." The downside is that I have never had the luxury of denial. We went diagnosis anticipatory grief "
Caregivers need to take care of them
His advice to other caregivers is to take care of yourself as well. - Physically and mentally. Let friends and family help with caregiver tasks. Let them help around the house. do you run into the ground and worsen the problem.
"Caregiving can be isolating terribly if you do not careful. This may sound selfish, but you must take care of yourself, too. If you do not, it's hard to be a good caregiver, "she said. "It's like saying the pilots on commercial flights. When the oxygen masks fall, put on your own first, then tend to your loved ones"
Linda retired last fall. For years, they needed to work for the cover of top-flight health insurance, she received. Otherwise they would have gone bankrupt medical bills that come with a diagnosis of mesothelioma.
She often would check her husband go to work and attend to her once she returned home. Linda scheduled her vacation and sick days around her medical needs. His colleagues at work including, but she still had a job to do.
Even without working as a nurse, she is busy now. It also helps care for her 95-year-old father of Alzheimer stage I disease. He lives 30 minutes in an attended installation, and she sees three to four times a week.
She wonders how her husband will respond the next time he needs chemotherapy. The sessions grew progressively worse.
"At Bosch, we were told that Lannie is the longer life of mesothelioma patients they have, so there is no road map to follow. It is sometimes a crapshoot," says -it. "But i want people to know that life goes on. There is hope out there. You will have your dark moments as a caregiver, but you are not alone. "
