Dear Friends and Family,
We often hear the words, When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. That being said I was recently diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. As you would expect, it came as a complete shock and has put me on a path I never thought I would have to take. Yet, here I am ready to fight for my life.
So far, I have undergone surgery in early January that was supposed to remove female organs and all visible cancer. But since there was too much involvement with the colon and other organs, my excellent surgical team at UVA Hospital decided not to proceed due to quality of life concerns. The plan now is to go through three or four chemotherapy treatments to shrink the tumors that will hopefully allow the team to complete the necessary operation. Then, after a total of six chemo treatments, my understanding is that complete remission is not only possible, but probable. My team tells me the odds are about eighty percent in my favor for success. Good news!
In the face of the shock, anxiety and overwhelming amounts of information, I remain optimistic and determined to beat this thing. The team at UVA has asked me to participate in a Clinical Research Study to help other women with my disease. This I have accepted wholeheartedly. On the positive side, my husband Mark and Quinn, my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, are wonderfully supportive caretakers. Quinn never leaves my side taking naps with me and walking around our property on a perfect heel. We are managing, adapting and embracing our new life, one day at a time.
On another note, after two years of applying, I finally landed my dream job last October at Stone Robinson Elementary School here in Albemarle County, Virginia. I am a part-time reading intervention specialist helping to bring those kindergarteners and first graders who are the most behind in reading, writing and language skills come up to grade level. In the few short weeks I was on the job, I have already made a huge difference in many children’s lives. I can’t say enough how wonderful the staff and teachers are at Stone Robinson. I’ve worked at many schools across the country and this school is very, very special. I desperately want to go back to work, but can’t due to the risk of infection from exposure to the kids. I miss them all and will go back to work once my treatment plan is completed, which will be sometime around late July or early August: just in time for next school year.
So back to When Life Throws you Lemons, if you can believe it, my husband Mark has been out of work ever since the City of Washington DC had a meltdown in their Department of General Services. It was some internal issue where they fired the Director and all senior staff, and terminated all contracts, including the one for my husband. This was in December 2018. For over a year, Mark has been trying to re-engage with DC and also trying to find employment here in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, this city is not large enough to have suitable positions for what Mark does. So this past October, Mark began receiving his Social Security benefits, but it’s not enough to cover all of our expenses. We are about $2,000 a month short on our no-frills budget.
This GoFundMe effort is intended to help fill that gap over the next six months, which is a total of about $12,000. All funds raised will go to must-pay, monthly bills:
Rent $1,140
Electricity and Gas 220
Supplemental Health Insurance for Penny 180 (Medicare)
Car and Renter’s Insurance 150
Cell Phones 95
Internet 60
Total $1,845
So, how will I make lemonade from all this? My plan is to make donations to Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Rescue fund and to write a blog to help others facing cancer. I feel that although my life has been filled with many challenges, it is not for the weak at heart. I ask myself every day, “how I can be an example for others?” and, “What can I do for the greater good?” I intend to live a long life and help as many people as I can along the way.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Penny
Some after-thoughts:
Gratitude is an expression of kindness or good will towards one another.
Gratitude is a virtue of the highest excellence.
Gratitude is available to everyone!
We often hear the words, When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. That being said I was recently diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. As you would expect, it came as a complete shock and has put me on a path I never thought I would have to take. Yet, here I am ready to fight for my life.
So far, I have undergone surgery in early January that was supposed to remove female organs and all visible cancer. But since there was too much involvement with the colon and other organs, my excellent surgical team at UVA Hospital decided not to proceed due to quality of life concerns. The plan now is to go through three or four chemotherapy treatments to shrink the tumors that will hopefully allow the team to complete the necessary operation. Then, after a total of six chemo treatments, my understanding is that complete remission is not only possible, but probable. My team tells me the odds are about eighty percent in my favor for success. Good news!
In the face of the shock, anxiety and overwhelming amounts of information, I remain optimistic and determined to beat this thing. The team at UVA has asked me to participate in a Clinical Research Study to help other women with my disease. This I have accepted wholeheartedly. On the positive side, my husband Mark and Quinn, my Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, are wonderfully supportive caretakers. Quinn never leaves my side taking naps with me and walking around our property on a perfect heel. We are managing, adapting and embracing our new life, one day at a time.
On another note, after two years of applying, I finally landed my dream job last October at Stone Robinson Elementary School here in Albemarle County, Virginia. I am a part-time reading intervention specialist helping to bring those kindergarteners and first graders who are the most behind in reading, writing and language skills come up to grade level. In the few short weeks I was on the job, I have already made a huge difference in many children’s lives. I can’t say enough how wonderful the staff and teachers are at Stone Robinson. I’ve worked at many schools across the country and this school is very, very special. I desperately want to go back to work, but can’t due to the risk of infection from exposure to the kids. I miss them all and will go back to work once my treatment plan is completed, which will be sometime around late July or early August: just in time for next school year.
So back to When Life Throws you Lemons, if you can believe it, my husband Mark has been out of work ever since the City of Washington DC had a meltdown in their Department of General Services. It was some internal issue where they fired the Director and all senior staff, and terminated all contracts, including the one for my husband. This was in December 2018. For over a year, Mark has been trying to re-engage with DC and also trying to find employment here in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, this city is not large enough to have suitable positions for what Mark does. So this past October, Mark began receiving his Social Security benefits, but it’s not enough to cover all of our expenses. We are about $2,000 a month short on our no-frills budget.
This GoFundMe effort is intended to help fill that gap over the next six months, which is a total of about $12,000. All funds raised will go to must-pay, monthly bills:
Rent $1,140
Electricity and Gas 220
Supplemental Health Insurance for Penny 180 (Medicare)
Car and Renter’s Insurance 150
Cell Phones 95
Internet 60
Total $1,845
So, how will I make lemonade from all this? My plan is to make donations to Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier Rescue fund and to write a blog to help others facing cancer. I feel that although my life has been filled with many challenges, it is not for the weak at heart. I ask myself every day, “how I can be an example for others?” and, “What can I do for the greater good?” I intend to live a long life and help as many people as I can along the way.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Penny
Some after-thoughts:
Gratitude is an expression of kindness or good will towards one another.
Gratitude is a virtue of the highest excellence.
Gratitude is available to everyone!
Organizer
Penny Bowman
Organizer
Crossroads, VA