Nov. 14 is a day of thanksgiving

Guest Column | Shirley Ruedy

Color me elated.

On Nov. 14 I celebrate two momentous anniversaries — not wedding, not birthday, but Anniversaries of Survival. For it was on that date — exactly and precisely 15 years apart — that I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was a premenopausal 43 in 1979, and a postmenopausal 58 in 1994.

That makes Nov. 14 in 2024 my 45th and 30th anniversaries!

Now I am 88 years old — a testament to skilled doctors and to second opinions; to the constantly evolving advances in the field of cancer — and a living monument to destroy the image of cancer as a death sentence. Ah, yes … a death sentence. The 1979 diagnosis required only surgery. But in 1994 I was told the cancer was metastatic and they didn’t know how much time I had left — maybe months, maybe years. Gulp!

A second opinion recommended surgery/chemotherapy/radiation — and here I am: age 88, enjoying 45 and 30 years of survivorship!

It’s a lesson for everyone: According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, ”There were an estimated 18.1 million U.S. cancer survivors as of Jan. 1, 2022.”

“Long-term survivors are highly prevalent; in 2022, 70 % of cancer survivors had lived 5 years or more after diagnosis, and 11% of cancer survivors had lived 25 years or more after diagnosis.

Said the Journal: “Cancer survivors are growing in number. In the United States, most cancer survivors are long-term and very long-term survivors, representing a substantial proportion of the U.S. population.”

Man, if that isn’t the elixir of hope — and accomplishment — I don’t know what is!

I will tell you something else: I didn’t get to be 88 by being stupid. I have heard some women say “Oh, mammograms hurt. I’m not going to have any more.

Besides, there’s no breast cancer in my family.” Fact: most breast cancers arise in women with no family history of breast cancer.

Or a man/woman who says: “I just hate the colonoscopy prep. I’m going to skip colonoscopy.” Fact: Colon cancer is one of the Big Four in cancer incidence. Most arise from polyps, which can be easily snipped off during a colonoscopy. Skip the ‘scope’? Not smart.

I took care of my mother during her ferocious battle with colon cancer. Every morning I got up and looked into the hollow eyes of death. Colonoscopy prep is a picnic compared to that. Trust me. I know.

To confess: I was rather stupid in my 20s and 30s. I smoked like the proverbial chimney — two/three — packs a day. Some smokers say “You gotta die of something. At least I’ll die happy.” Yeah, and in all likelihood, sooner.

Lung cancer leads all cancer deaths. The best prevention is not to smoke — or quit if you do. The United States Preventive Services Task Force says high-risk people should have a low-dose CT scan every year.

High risk is being between 50-80 years old, having smoked a pack a day for 20 years or more and are still smoking, or quit within the last 15 years.

I told you I was both stupid and smart. I finally got smart about smoking and quit — cold turkey — 55 years ago, after two previous tries.

Bottom line: I survived quitting smoking and cancer’s three attempts to commandeer my body (third time was endometrial uterine cancer in 2005.)

Fast Forward: Now I can happily say Nov. 14 is no longer a day of fear, but a glorious day of thanksgiving.

Color me elated!

Shirley Ruedy retired in 2007 from writing The Gazette's cancer column for 16 years. She lives in Cedar Rapids.