June 15-23, 2023, marks National Cancer Survivors Month and National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week.
âNot to alarm you, but I saw something,â is not what you want to hear from the doctor when you are 21 years old and pregnant with your first child. Thankfully, there was nothing wrong with my baby, and at the time I was diagnosed with a fibroid tumor â a noncancerous growth made of uterine muscle. I was anxious, but the doctor reinforced there was minimal risk, and fortunately I went on to deliver a healthy baby boy.
However, five months after my son was born, I was still experiencing symptoms. It turned out I had been misdiagnosed. I actually had peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer typically caused by exposure to asbestos.
I was beside myself with shock and anger. The doctors told me I had about 18 months to live. Would I even see my son turn 2?
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The Tough Questions
It made no sense to me! When I looked it up, pictures of people with peritoneal mesothelioma were old Caucasian men, and were described as often being retired coal miners and factory workers. And here I was, a young Black woman who had recently given birth. I kept asking, âWhy me?â
Ultimately, there did not need to be a reason as to how I got cancer. It became a part of my lifeâs journey that helped me find strength, resilience, and power that I never knew I had. The real question I had to answer was, âHow am I going to thrive as a cancer survivor?â
There were three answers to that: Faith, support, and connections.
Finding Faith
The first part of my survival journey was finding faith within myself. So many of the resources I found focused on seeking balance between medical options and end-of-life goals.
At 22 years of age with a new child, that was not enough for me. I needed a lot more than 18 months for those life goals â I still had a full life to live! So, I found resilience and hope to ground me, and took the next step on my journey: searching for support.
Surrounding Myself With Support
I am so grateful that my family stepped in to help support me in caring for myself and my newborn son. They also helped me seek out the right information and doctors.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer and there are few oncologists who specialize in it. The oncologist who I was referred to after my initial surgery did not know anything about this specific cancer and did not think I had a fighting chance.
So, I asked questions at each appointment and pushed the envelope when I couldnât get answers. I realized quickly that I needed a care team who not only understood the disease, but would inspire me and give me hope. Fortunately, with the help of friends and family, I sought out specialists who walked into the room and said, âI can help you!â
On top of it all, I learned how critical it is to share my story for others who cannot find the information they need and I recently joined Bristol Myers Squibbâs Survivorship Today âIn Her Shoes: Life as a Black Woman Cancer Survivorâ panel to share the unique realities of my experience with cancer and why itâs critical to advocate for your health.
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Building Connections
Feeling isolated and hopeless was the most difficult part of my journey. I slowly started blogging and sharing my story as a contributing writer for the Mesothelioma Center, in the hopes of helping others. I built connections with other cancer survivors and addressed the ways my cancer still impacts me today. From there, I found my mental health started to improve.
Today, Iâm a proud wife, mother of four, ordained minister, and advocate. I feel blessed every day to be able to share my story, and I want others to understand that itâs possible to not just survive cancer, but also thrive.
Learn more about my story on SurvivorshipToday.com.
This essay was written for CafeMom by Tamron Little, who is a mother of four.
