[2022-07-21] Living beyond ovarian cancer
This evening, I received the results of my latest CA125 result: a sweet 7.
It marks my twentieth month with a CA125 in the normal range (0-35) and my seventh 7 since my first cancer antigen test on July 29, 2020. That first result was a whopping 920. By December 2020, after surgery and three rounds of chemotherapy, my CA125 had dropped to 19, well within the normal range.
Every normal result fills me with hope. It convinces me that my decision to say "I had cancer" makes sense. And it reassures me that a subtle change I recently made to the subtitle of my blog—from "My story of living with ovarian cancer" to "Living beyond ovarian cancer"—is sound.
Also today, I heard of a woman who had been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer five years ago and who has been in remission ever since. Like me, this woman has a mutation in her BRCA2 gene. Her story gives me hope, just as my story no doubt brings solace to the people currently being treated for ovarian or other gynecologic cancers.
And yesterday, a friend informed me that her sister had had perianal skin cancer and had been treated by Dr. Boushey, the same surgeon who operated on me. My friend was pleased to tell me that her sister has been cancer free for 10 years.
Living beyond ovarian cancer isn't about trying to forget a difficult period in my life or to avoid the topic. On the contrary, I think there's value in my acknowledging and proclaiming regularly "I continue to be cancer free." Such announcements help people in the midst of cancer treatment, and their loved ones, to imagine a future where the disease is behind them and they can focus on other things in their lives.
Yes, there's always the chance of recurrence. But I've made it a point not to worry about something unless and until I have evidence that there's reason to worry.
So when I got my CA125 result this evening, I said, "Oh! A 7. That's cool!" I know that, statistically, there's little difference between a 7 and an 8, but it was still lovely to see.
