Woman and family celebrate miracle cancer cure
Published: May 20, 2006
Almost a year to the day since doctors diagnosed Carol Bricker with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she has returned to work cancer-free.
Doctors told Carol, 44, of Waynesboro on April 4, 2005, that they had found several internal cancerous tumors.
This spring, she was ecstatic to return to her job as food service director at Greencastle-Antrim School District. She has been working half-days since April 3.
“You have to keep a positive outlook, have a strong support network of family and friends and a strong faith in God. Those are the three key factors in being successful,” Carol said.
“And hope. You have to have hope.”
Diagnosis
There are few incidents of cancer in Carol’s family, so when she discovered a small bump on her shoulder in October 2004, she didn’t suspect anything abnormal. But as the lump grew, Carol became more curious.
“I showed my sister. She had something similar, but it was a different consistency,” Carol said.
Her family doctor said the lump was deep in the muscle and sent Carol to a surgeon. The lump was removed March 1, 2005.
Two weeks later, the Bricker family received the news no one ever wants to hear.
Carol had the rarest type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma - B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Fewer than 1 percent of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients have the disease.
About three weeks later, a PET exam revealed multiple internal cancerous sites.
“We have four boys. There was a lot going through our minds,” Carol said.
Jon-Erik is a senior in college, Chad is a college sophomore, Tyler is 9 and Zachary is 3.
“It’s shocking,” said Carol’s husband, Ken. “The diagnosis of cancer alone is devastating. But we thought initially it could be taken care of and was nothing major.”
Then doctors told the Brickers there was just a 3 percent chance they could treat the cancer successfully.
Seeking treatment
According to one local oncologist, Carol’s situation was so serious that she needed the closest cancer specialist available. The Brickers went to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where Carol received treatment for eight months straight.
Although it was difficult to be away from her boys, Carol said it was essential that she live in an apartment near the hospital.
Doctors laid out two treatment options - a combination of chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant. If the chemotherapy was unsuccessful, Carol was told to plan for the transplant.
Doctors immediately administered two types of chemotherapy, including a risky, high-intensity chemotherapy that “wiped everything out of my system,” Carol said.
During her first chemotherapy treatment, she experienced a fever, and doctors were on-hand to prescribe the correct medication. The first week left her sick and fatigued.
Later, she got an infection, and doctors had to remove her catheter and start penicillin before reinserting it.
Any visitors had to wear face masks because Carol’s immune system was extremely susceptible to disease.
“There’s still a lot of research being done on this cancer,” Carol said.
“The hospital was very top notch. People said we were in the best place,” Ken added.
For better …
During Carol’s bout with cancer, the Brickers truly learned the meaning of “for better and for worse.”
“Initially when diagnosed, we were inundated with questions of ‘Why?’” said Ken. “She’s a dietitian. We eat healthy and exercise.”
Of course, there is no answer, he added.
So the couple accepted the challenge, became better educated about the disease and supported each other.
The Brickers said their four boys were “initially upset, but hopeful.” Being away from her family was the most difficult part, Carol said.
The two younger boys stayed with Carol’s sister while Ken remained in Baltimore.
“My husband was a wonderful care-giver,” Carol said.
He maintained temperature charts, changed the dressing on her catheter and administered medications. During their first night in the apartment, Ken prepared a meal to make it seem at home.
“I was thinking, ‘This is what we have to deal with for six or seven months.’”
But Ken said no one could have handled the situation more gracefully.
“(Carol) handled this fantastically,” he said. “She finds positive in any situation.”
Staying positive
Carol is not used to being bedridden.
Although stuck indoors during her treatment, Ken said Carol found ways to stay busy.
“Carol walked laps with her IV,” Ken said. “If you went around 16 times it was a mile, so she tried to get the record.”
Carol said the chemotherapy made her fatigued, but she didn’t experience extreme sickness like other patients. Many times, she was the one offering hope to others, Ken said.
“There was a woman from Scranton who was very depressed and Carol brightened her day,” he said.
Her favorite pastime was meeting with visitors and reading her two boxes of cards.
“A card is the sparkle in your day,” she said. “I’d reread them and read them again. It helps you think of other people.”
The cards and visits from friends helped “bring Waynesboro to Baltimore,” Carol said. It gave her an opportunity to think of activities from home and not dwell on cancer treatments.
Carol also journaled her experiences. She said some entries helped her understand how certain medications affected her body so she could prepare for the next treatment.
Other entries simply helped her appreciate life.
Back to normal
More than anything, Carol wanted to get home to her family and her job, where things could be “back to normal.”
But the Brickers’ lives will never be quite the same.
Physically, Carol is still easily fatigued. She is free of cancer and will continue preventive chemotherapy for two years.
Mentally and emotionally, the couple have altered their outlook on life.
“I try to keep things simple,” Carol said. “That book, ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,’ holds true. You have to be carefree and flexible and deal with things as they come.”
Ken said he handles disappointment differently. People take too many things for granted, he said.
“If things don’t go as planned, it’s OK,” Ken said.
The Brickers certainly didn’t plan the battle, but now Carol said they are more sympathetic to others’ situations.
“We know what they’re going through, and I’m willing to help anyone and talk to them to get help,” Carol said.
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