‘Don’t lose hope. Be patient. Keep the faith. Whatever life you have is still precious life to live,’ survivor says
By Deborah Jeanne Post
Della Joyce Smith of Syracuse was always vigilant about breast health as several family members had a history of cancer.
She faithfully sought breast cancer screenings as part of her health protocols.
However, it was between screenings in December 2011 that she noticed a lump in her breast. An eventual biopsy showed it was malignant.
“Like most people, I thought it was a death sentence and didn’t know what to do,” Smith said.
Smith, 39, was the mother of four and grandmother of a toddler. She wanted more time. She felt both shock and fear about her diagnosis.
Her youngest child was 18 and had just left for basic training in the military. She chose to wait to tell him after training was over. She was unable to attend his basic training graduation because of her health and at first, he didn’t know why the family didn’t join him.
Smith first underwent chemotherapy to shrink the stage 3B tumor, which she was told was aggressive, and to ensure malignant cells were not spreading. After six months of out-patient chemotherapy, she was left with neuropathy, which made her feet feel as if they were on fire. She had a lumpectomy and finally six weeks of radiation to complete her treatment.
Others’ kindness helped her through the experience.
“People brought me blankets,” Smith recalled. “To this day, I am a ‘pajama whore.’ I love all those creature comforts like soft sheets and pillows. I made a prayer wall with cards everyone gave me so I could look at them in my little space. That helped, along with little gifts. My son’s mother-in-law bought me a stuffed animal. I named her Victoria, i.e. ‘victory.’ Little things like that lifted my spirits. I also had my music and my faith.”
Since she lost her job during her chemotherapy treatments, she used that extra time to focus on her health. People told her to avoid sugar and processed foods to support good health. However, she could not resist a weekly indulgence with McDonald’s food as her comfort food. She also drank more water. She lost a few pounds she didn’t mind losing and focused on eating well, plenty of fluids and sufficient sleep.
“I had a ginormous support system,” Smith recalled. “I didn’t have a lot of friends around as people tend to stay away but my mother was alive at the time. It was friends and extended family that got me through.”
Her church also held a survivor ceremony, which lifted her spirits. Community organizations offered free wigs to conceal her hair loss, makeup and makeup lessons, along with scholarships to help cover expenses.
The second diagnosis came six years later, when cancer returned to attack her chest wall. She noticed what appeared to be a small pimple. She didn’t think much of it, but at a check-up, her healthcare provider knew it was not a pimple. The subsequent biopsy showed it was cancer. After surgery to remove it, she received radiation. Her providers recommended chemotherapy, but Smith refused it.
“They thought they got it all but a short while later, it spread to other places,” Smith said. “I was stage 4 metastatic recurrent. My doctor talked me into oral chemo.”
That treatment wasn’t as helpful as they hoped it would be, so Smith endured six weeks of radiation. Three years have passed and so far, she has experienced clear check-ups. She returns for blood work and exams every six months and a PET scan annually, along with plastic surgery annually and cardiologist (she suffered heart failure because of the previous chemotherapy she received). She also struggles with dental problems as chemotherapy was rough on her oral health.
Though Smith worked as a financial customer service support in the financial industry, she shifted into community human services and is completing her master’s in social work.
“Don’t lose hope,” she likes to tell people who have a cancer diagnosis. “Be patient. Keep the faith. Whatever life you have is still precious life to live. Try to have the best quality of life, not just quantity. Invest in your faith, your family support system. Surround yourself with beautiful people who can support you with your dreams and in the way you want to fight it.”
She and her husband, Carlton Smith Sr., are celebrating 34 years of marriage.