In 2013 Marlene Gaudry of Estevan was living a full life. She was happily married, excited for her university age daughter to explore England on an exchange program, and managed a printing plant. It was at this time she discovered she was being rewarded for her efforts, she earned an all-inclusive trip to Mexico. But, despite these exciting things, Gaudry had been feeling unwell and needed to understand what was going on before her trip in April was to take place. The news was not what she had thought it would be; she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
"I had been feeling bloated, had problems in the bathroom, felt full really quickly, and had terrible fatigue," Marlene explains. "All classic ovarian cancer symptoms."
There were numerous trips to the doctor, a trip to the emergency room in Estevan, and the need for an ultrasound.
"The doctor in emergency knew something was wrong but couldn't get an ultrasound immediately, I had to wait until one could be booked the next week if we were lucky because of it being Easter - a holiday weekend," Marlene explained.
Despite feeling unwell and unsure why, Marlene and her husband Duane were off to Regina for an Easter brunch. The drive to Regina was difficult for Marlene and when she was unable to exit the car at a stop in Weyburn, Duane decided they would head straight for the hospital in Regina.
"I underwent a few tests, but the moment I was taken into the room reserved for rape victims at the Pasqua emergency, and told to have a family member with me before the doctor would talk to us, I knew life was about to make a big change," Marlene stated.
"There I was told I had advanced ovarian cancer, had several tumours, and was full of cancer."
This was not what she had been expecting.
"After being in emergency - I was hospitalized and a biopsy was performed," Marlene continued to explain. "This was not the five star resort I was expecting to go to. There was no swim up bar, or buffet. My abdomen became distended like I was six-months pregnant. They thought it was fluid, but an ultrasound confirmed it was tumours."
A numbness washed over her and the busy life she had been leading came to a halt. She was allowed to go home, but would be waiting to hear when she would be able to begin chemotherapy. It was a week later she would begin treatments.
"I had three rounds of chemo, then a big surgery in June where I was told it was far more extensive than they thought," Marlene said. "They couldn't get it all."
This surgery was followed by more chemo, but in September Marlene noticed the same symptoms she had been experiencing around Easter when she had gone to emergency in Regina.
"Another CT scan showed another tumour," Marlene said. "More surgery would be needed. The heart wrenching thing about this news - was it came the same day my dad died of esophagus cancer."
In November Marlene had the second surgery with the assurance that they got it all, but was told there was a large dormant tumour in her pelvis. The thought was it had been killed by chemo, but couldn't be removed because of how it had grown.
"Unfortunately, the tumour had grown a small amount, so they decided to begin palliative chemotherapy," Marlene explained. "But now they have sent me home to enjoy what I can out of life and seek no further treatment. The tumours were not responding to the two kinds of chemo they most commonly give for ovarian cancer and there has been further tumour growth elsewhere in the abdomen."
"After being hospitalized again for what was a suspected bowel obstruction they are trying steroids and I seem to be responding well to these. I have also sought the help of a naturopath in Weyburn - Dr. Toby Bridgeman who has helped me with some supplements to help me feel better and have a good quality of life. He has prescribed some natural supplements that are supposed to slow tumour growth and we are hoping these are working."
Marlene has therefore decided to live her life to the fullest and enjoy the time she has with friends and family.
"When faced with a diagnosis and the outcome that I have been faced with, you understand that time is so important, time with your family, friends, and spending time with the people you love, doing the things you love to do," Marlene stated.
"We have had the freedom to be able to do that this summer. My husband has taken an early retirement, and of course I am done working as well. We have spent time at the cabin at the lake, we bought a fifth wheel, have done some travelling, and generally been trying to spend time with those we love."
"I am trying to grab as much life out of each day as I can, some days I don't feel terrific but for the most part it's been great. I intend to continue to do as much as I can each day. We have lots of plans for the fall and hope I feel well enough to do more travelling and spending more time with friends and family, having fun into the winter as well. Many of our plans will hinge on how I am feeling, but as long as I feel good, we will keep going."
During this time Marlene says that she has found support from her loved ones who also provide a source of strength for her as well.
"I guess I have found that I have a bigger faith in God than I imagined," Marlene stated. "I will be fine, I know that no matter what happens, if I get a remission or my tumours slow or if they don't - I will be fine."
"It's been my caregivers, my husband, my daughter, and our family and great network of friends who have given me the strength to keep going because it's their love and support that pull us through those difficult times."
"And, though I wish we'd never had to experience the 'in-sickness' portion of our vows, I know more than ever, how lucky I am to have such an amazing man by my side. Someone who has looked at me - pale, bald, and weak - and told me that I look beautiful."
Marlene also says that being able to joke with people about her situation has helped her through her experience.
"Keeping your sense of humour and trying to see the funny part of cancer - it really puts people at ease when you can joke about something that is so personal. I made many jokes about losing my wig in wind storms"
In addition to her amazing friends and family, Marlene gives credit to the Ovarian Cancer Support Group in Regina which is led by Anne Chase, an ovarian cancer survivor.
"I have only been able to attend their support meetings twice, but have received so many calls, emails and visits from their group over my cancer journey," Marlene said. "Their help has been tremendous because most of them have been there."
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer for women according to the Canadian Cancer Society, but despite this it is the most fatal women's cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society information from 2013 also says that approximately 17,000 women are currently living with ovarian cancer and that 2,600 in 2014 will be newly diagnosed.
For this reason awareness and information is crucial. There is currently no reliable ovarian cancer screening test, but pelvic exams or ultrasounds can be used to detect ovarian cancer as well as the CA-125 blood test.
The symptoms are often vague and can point to a variety of problems, but common symptoms include bloating, feeling full quickly when eating, pain in the pelvic or abdominal region, and urinary symptoms including urgency and frequency. Other symptoms are equally as vague with changing bowel habits, extreme fatigue, or unexplained weight loss.
If they are frequent, persistent, and new then it may be important to confer with a doctor. Commonly the symptoms that do present do not do so until the late stages of cancer, so it is important for women to pay attention to how they are feeling.
In an effort to raise awareness as well as funds for research and support for ovarian cancer Marlene will be accompanied by numerous individuals in the Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope in Regina, which will take place on Sunday, Sept. 7.
"I will be participating in the Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope in Regina on [Sept.] 7, with a large team of family and friends," Marlene stated. "Team Crazy Cat Lady will have over 20 people on our team including myself. I am very happy to be able to be involved."
"Last year I was just too sick from chemo to even make the trip to Regina, let alone participate, so this year bringing in a fundraising team of over 20 people is great. We hope to be one of the top fundraising teams in Regina."
If interested in supporting Marlene's team, named in honour of the number of cats she has in her house, donations can be made through the Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope site through sponsoring her team at https://secure.ovariancanada.org/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2361109&langPref=en-CA or by dropping off donations at The Observer's office located at 132 Main Street in Carlyle.
The sponsors on this page of the newspaper have donated $375 to Team Crazy Cat Lady.
