HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2011-04-13, Page 15i
1
(
wareness month (F,!,:iukE
A woman's journey
By Lynda Hillman-Raplcy
It has been a rough few years...with so
much change that it feels like my feet cannot
find solid ground," says Anita Zahn, "I have
a much better understanding these days of
the story of The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy's
spinning search for home."
This former Grand Bend widow and mom
talks about her cancer and her lite.
Anita's husband Mike died in 2007 from com-
plications followed by liver transplants. Very
quickly she became a single mother raising
two teens. After a year or so they decided to
move to London and her life took even more
twists and turns.
"With the loss of Mike came so many other
losses. The loss of my sense of home was
probably the biggest loss, !tome for me is not
the house 1 live in, but the person who holds
me close. That person I feel at ease and rest-
ful with- that was a huge loss for Inc."
The loss of the kids stability with "Dad" miss-
ing in their lives, the loss of the kids school.
The loss of a small town where folks knew
who you were. The loss of church fellowship.
The loss of the sense of us as a family unit- it
is overwhelming at times when 1 think about
all of the loss."
Anita said she learned early in life with her
father's death that loss is inevitable for all
of us.. "It just comes earlier to some than to
others and for some it does not come in the
proper order of things. l wonder sometimes at
how 1 did it; to move on, sell, up root the kids,
move to the city, see new possibilities in life,
start a new chapter in my life,"
Then came the biopsy
Anita was diagnosed with poly cystic breast
syndrome about 15 years ago which is not
cancer but it makes reading the mammo-
grams more difficult. Because ot'that she had
a yearly mammogram and breast surgeon fol-
low up.
In March 2010 she missed a mammography
appointment when they were preparing for
a "wish trip" for her son to Hawaii. She re
booked it for May and missed it again as they
were in the midst of moving to their new home
in London. She re -booked for early June,
and she kncw something was not quite right.
"As anyone with poly cystic breast syndrome
knows it is not unusual for mammography to
show something, usually a water cyst, so they
sent me a note to return for a follow-up."
That follow up was booked for August and
it was during that ultrasound that she knew
things were not good. When five medical peo-
ple come walking into the ultrasound room.
"You just know- they did a biopsy during that
appointment."
On September 2, 2010 it was confirmed by
her breast surgeon that she had breast cancer.
"It is called DCIS and it was all in stage 0 ex-
cept for a very small invasive spot. I was told
that there is no luck in having breast cancer
but that 1 was lucky that it was caught very
early.
"1 was alone at that appointment when 1 got
that report. It took a monumental effort to
walk out of that office and drive to a friend's
home where 1 felt completely safe to fall
apart- and 1 did."
Anita went into surgery in September She
had. Her first mastectomy in October the re-
sults of a surgical biopsy on my other breast
showed
"Yon, Local Commonalty Newspaper"
P.U. Box 1195, 58 Ontario St., N. Grand Bend PH:
(519) 238-5383 Fax: (519) 238-5131
Entails tadvanoeObowesnetrcom
Cancer there as well. On November 5 she had
her second mastectomy.
"It is such an awful assault to the physical
body and as well to the psyche- to my sense
of womanhood. "
Life today
"There is one very close friend, Mike's best
friend who called every day without fail to
encourage me on, to keep me seeing the light
at the end of the tunnel, to help me realize that
when doors close, other doors will open. With
out that very good friend in my life 1 don't
think I would have had the strength to carry
on. It is knowing that there is someone out
there who cares very much for your well be-
ing that helps keep my attitude positive . It
is sometimes others that carry us for awhile,
like in the poem "footprints". i can't thank
him enough for being there for me through
that early difficult time after Mike died and
for still being such a good friend and there for
me today."
Anita says Mikc had a very strong will to live,
a very strong fighting spirit.
"His doctors called him "the transplant war-
rior". Right to the end he would not give up. i
knew that the reason was "me" and 1 realized
that if i did not continue on with that fighting
spirit 1 would he letting hint down."
Anita says that it is what drove her on then
and still drives her on now.
"Ile asked me to continue on with life and
find happiness again. I'm not sure he realized
just how tough a request that was but I carry
on and fight in honour of the battle he did
for me."
Anita says there was a lot of support from
the community as well. "That is the beauty
of a small town- people just reach out to each
other. 1 think sometimes that adversity can
build strong bonds. Friends I will have for-
ever were very supportive of our fiunily and 1
will always feel grateful for that."
"I sometimes feel very exhausted with the ef-
fort to keep up the fighting spirit. it is very dif-
ficult being a single parent to teens let alone
the other things we are given to cope with.
But 1 keep up hope that someday 1 will get a
break in this life- a break that is just around
the next curve in the road.
111 Wr7rip w PO pa 1rserw M, or, �t1�i) NO
Providing Personable and (om,H.ssionate .Service
to the Dashwood and Surrounding Community
Since 1939.
111.i 11111 11..11 11 III
I 1' •
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 • Lakeshore Advance 15
EASY
BUILDING PROOUCTS
\ 1\\ i i \4 I i is I is
\ \I , H ill it I: t '1
1 1 1 1 1 1 \1 'I \1 I .t ik
I is \1 I'. \\I' \. k 1
t(i(141 \ii 1)4,1 1 iiit. It. 11..111
1'1 1, t 11) 4.1 1 .SNS �, t -''►
t .ice \ 1 1 11 1 11 1 1 1 1 1' 1 1 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 t. 1
T r
1..
warranty
your vehicle
N. Grand
238-2451
when
NOM 1TO
stays in effect
with us.
Bend, ON
Your new vehicle
maintaining
70793 HWY. #21
(519)
. ,,,,, ,,i,
_Itp
A Fitness
Cardio Classes 37 Ontario St., Grand
Included (behind Tim Hortons)
One Low Monthly Fee 519-238-3488
Centre
Bend
Building
Work
RONF\
Feed,
Supplies, Pet Food, Bird
Clothing, Footwear
Zurich 519-236-4393
Pratt Denture Clinic
14 Ontario St. N. (Hwy. #21)
Grand Bend, ON NOM 1TO
(519) 238-5242
1-800-265-0669
DAVE
MOORE
FUELS
I.TI).
^
r..... k i
' Petroleum Products
• Heating & Air Conditioning
• Sales & Service
• Residential Propane
1-800-265-2931
EXETER - THEDFORD
/obey/
Robert & Kimberley Green
Owners/Oper1lu'rs
..„„,, Bend SobevN
55 Main St., E. (:rand Bend Tel: 519-238-8944
Ontario NOM 1TO Fax: 519-238-8752