Cindy Wright

Survivor

In the fall of 1987, Cindy Wright (at the ripe old age of 39) was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer. The prognosis was not very encouraging--25% chance of survival.

Following the initial surgery, the tumor was removed with no indication of any spread to the lymph nodes. Treatment would consist of 8 months of chemotherapy (every three weeks, as blood counts allowed) followed by a second look surgery, then we'd go from there.

Suddenly so many of the things that seemed important yesterday all of a sudden were not, while the things that WERE really important in the grand scheme of things were monumentally important now. It became easy for Cindy to put things in perspective, to dig deep into herself, to muster every bit of positive attitude and feeling that she had within her heart, body and soul to fight and beat the odds of this insidious disease.

Cindy immersed herself in meditation, imagery, Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking", Bernie Siegel's "Love, Medicine & Miracles" and countless other works by accomplished writers. She accepted all the love and support her friends and family offered and drew strength from each of them. Were there tears and fears? YES. She would not have been human if these emotions had ceased to exist, but she never let those fears skew her resolve or dampen her enthusiasm to fight with all her might.

After the 8 months of chemo, it was time for the second look surgery. Emotions were running high at this time. Would all the nausea, vomiting, lethargy and fatigue of the past 8 months prove to have been worth it? We were confident that the answer to this question would be a resounding YES!!!!! After all, Cindy had followed all the rules, done everything she was suppose to do, didn't do anything she wasn't suppose to do. The results of the surgery were everything we had been hoping and praying for for almost a year. There was no evidence of remaining cancer cells in the 20+ biopsies taken, everything looked great. She was also able at this time to participate in a clinical trial in which a single injection of a radioactive substance was given in the abdomen in the name of science and research.

Here she is 18 years later, healthy and happy, without a care in the world, except for concerns about where she will spend her retirement years.

Cindy has been an inspiration not only to me, but to the countless lives she has touch and the encouragement she has given to so many in similar situations. I believe in the deepest recesses of my heart that Cindy's positive attitude, honesty and fighting spirit accounted for much more than 50% of her winning the battle. I would like to once again thank her for her strength as well as her encouragement and support of my own Mother. Cindy inspired my Mom to rely and build on her own strengths, to bravely fight a battle with lung cancer for nearly six years. Mom always considered Cindy her cancer hero, just as I always will.