2008 was a tough year for Jodie Waclaw. She hadn't been feeling well for quite some time. After eight visits with her doctor, where she was repeatedly told that she was fine, Jodie was starting to doubt her sanity. It wasn't until she called a friend in Texas who is a nurse practitioner and told her the symptoms, that Jodie found someone who confirmed that she might actually have a legitimate concern.
On June 8, 2008, Jodie got an appointment to see
Dr. Jon Dangerfield, MeritCare obstetrician and gynecologist. While he was doing the pelvic exam, she hemorrhaged on the table. Two days later, she had a biopsy, which confirmed stage 3
endometrial cancer. This was a surprising diagnosis because, at only 40, Jodie was quite young to develop this kind of cancer.
Dr. Dangerfield made an appointment for Jodie with a women's cancer specialist, Dr. Rachel Ghebre, at the University of Minnesota shortly after the diagnosis. Dr. Ghebre confirmed the cancer and recommended a full, radical hysterectomy. Jodie went home to think it over, due to the intense nature of the surgery. Jodie knew she wanted the cancer out, so on June 23 she had an eight-hour hysterectomy. Thirty-eight lymph nodes were also removed, one with pre-cancer symptoms.
Jodie returned to MeritCare Roger Maris Cancer Center. After six rounds of chemo, 25 external radiation treatments and three high beam radiation treatments, Jodie has been cancer-free.
An Extended Family
When Jodie was diagnosed, suddenly her definition of family widened. She says, "Dr. Ghebre is an oncologist by profession but an angel by nature." She was the first addition to her new family, but then the nurses and staff at the MeritCare Roger Maris Cancer Clinic blew the doors wide open.
"RMCC are really my extended family. They give hope. They make it seem like it's going to be OK no matter what. They are honest. They make you feel like family and that you are so important. Your life is in their hands, and they make you feel like they are going to take care of you. They are so willing to give of themselves and their time to put your mind at ease. I was scared to death, but they answered the questions, and if they couldn't, they got right back to me," says Jodie of her newly extended clan.
A Family Affair
Jodie was getting treatment at the Cancer Center last year when the
61for61 event was being held. She notes, "Everybody had these cute tees on, and I wanted to know what was going to on. Robbie Daniels at The FOX (107.9-FM) asked me to be interviewed on the radio, and she thought I was funny – she wanted to get me involved."
The next day, Jodie joined the walk and was amazed. She continues, "We were all survivors there for the same reason. I said next year we are doing it again. This year I have more friends, and we are all going to do it."
After the interview last year, Jodie was asked to be the honorary chairperson of this year's 61for61 events. "I am ecstatic about the 61for61. I am so proud to be a survivor that I just beam," she exclaims.
Taking it all in Stride
Today, Jodie is a bright, effervescent woman with a sassy short haircut. She does absolutely beam when she talks about her survivorship journey. She pauses and says, "I think you need a focus when you are diagnosed and your life has to have a purpose. It's always been about my nephew Ryland. I was going to be his godmother on the 29th of June, 2008. My surgery was on the 23rd. I needed to get out of the hospital early. He's such a focus in my life that I didn't have time for cancer in my life. I needed to do what I could do and be aggressive, give it the time it needed, and go on with my life. I just didn't have time."
Looking Forward
For Jodie, the future looks sweet because of the journey she has been on. She loves life, she loves being an aunt to 14-month-old Ryland and big sister to his mom Hollie, and she cherishes what she now has. She takes a moment to reflect and says, "I think RMCC will always be a part of my life. I am giving back because they gave me the tools to keep me alive. Cancer – you think it's going to be negative, and because of them, it was a positive."