She was in the shower, at the cottage, when she found the lump in her breast. She didn’t panic and, even though she is very intuitive, she remembers having no unusual feelings and sensing no red flags.
Tish Menzies did not however, ignore the lump.
It was August of 2009 and as the month went by her “guardian angel” told her to go to the doctor and check things out. She saw her doctor, Dr. Elizabeth Russell, who also felt there wasn’t anything to worry about, but fortunately erred on the side of caution and immediately ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound.
Tish has lived in Port Perry since she was two years old. As she sits and tells me her story, her words pour forth in a rush of images, feelings, time frames, family, doctor’s, friends; it is all a jumble of one of the most frightening times of her life.
She starts one thought, then switches to another constantly, in a rush to tell me about the incredible journey that she’s been through.
Her faith and spirituality mix with the practical elements that a person with the possibility of cancer faces. She continually reminds me how fortunate she is to have her family, faith and friends around her... then the reality of finding the lump surfaces again.
Tish’s test results came back within a week in mid- October. The news was definite, she had breast cancer.
Says Tish, “By this time, I knew the results were going to come back as cancer. I had all kinds of little signs. I was not shocked by the diagnoses and I also felt a strange calmness.”
“My first thoughts were of my children. In my
darkest moment I wondered if my kids
would have a mom.”
It was about this time Tish had became reconnected with two old friends who were to become instrumental in seeing her through her cancer journey. This reconnection as well as other factors contributed to Tish feeling that “somebody was letting me know something was wrong. I can’t describe it but it was spiritual in the way that it was going to be cancer, but it was also going to be okay”.
The test results led to a biopsy and Tish was informed that the biopsy would prove what they knew and give direction for the future.
Everything moved very quickly from this point and she very much wants everyone to know what a Godsend the Port Perry clinic and hospital is. The speed, professionalism, compassion and kindness that she was shown in these early, terrifying stages was incredible.
“You are faced with the terror of cancer and yet at every turn, the staff bend over backward to make you feel cared for, supported, and so important. At both the clinic and later the hospital I was treated with such warmth and compassion it was incredible. How fortunate I am to live in Port Perry,” she says.
Dr. Martin Stewart confirmed her biopsy results. Her first thoughts were of her children – a daughter, 15 and a son, 13. Tish recalls, “My first thoughts were what is in store for me now but, most of all, in my darkest moment, I wondered if my kids would have a mom.”
Dr. Stewart was very positive and told her that there was every chance that she could beat her cancer.
The time leading up to surgery was mercilessly short. Her biggest challenge was staying healthy through the H1N1 virus which was a huge scare at the time.
Tish kept her family, faith and friends close to her and on November 10, she had a lumpectomy and a lymph node removed at Port Perry Hospital. She went into the operating room feeling calm and said the whole experience was so positive. She awoke to see her husband and Dr. Russell by her side. Through tears, her first question was, “did they get the cancer?” The answer was yes!
From that point forward, more than a year ago, Tish began a healing process and the difficult wait for the pathology report on the tumour and the lymph node. This report tells you the stage the cancer is at, how aggressive it is and whether it is in your lymph nodes.
Tish says waiting was one of the worst stages in her cancer journey – the waiting was horrible. Her results finally came in and the news was positive; her prognosis was deemed good and her course of treatment became more positive with the results.
Tish became a cancer patient at the Cancer Centre at Oshawa General Hospital. Her treatments began on January 1, 2010. She started cancer drugs at this time and began five weeks of daily radiation treatments.
She can’t say enough about her care. “Thank God for the Oshawa Cancer Centre. It is a top notch cancer facility and it is only a half hour away. It’s so much better for patients and their families not to have to travel to Toronto and to have such a quality facility so close.”
When she was first diagnosed with cancer she had asked her doctor, “Who do I tell? How do I go about talking to people about this?”
Dr. Russell suggested that since Tish was such an open and social person, and wore her heart on her sleeve, that she might be best to share it with as many people in her circle as she could. In this way, Tish would be able to “take control” of her cancer.
Tish took Dr. Russell’s words to heart and, with a positivity that was mind-boggling, she told everyone she knew. “Sharing my news with so many people gave me even more strength than I had. The people in this town are absolutely amazing – I would never have thought possible such an outpouring of goodness.”
She received overwhelming support from her family, friends, neighbours, her hockey team, and she thinks half the town. The support of her community was a blessing she is eternally grateful for.
Tish is adamant however, that staying involved in your normal activities goes a long way to helping the healing process and gives you a sense that your life is not totally upside down. Tish Menzies is now a cancer survivor.
She gets regular tests and checkups and considers herself cancer free. She also considers herself blessed. Her faith in God, her family and friends and her own spiritual aura have helped her through some difficult times.
Her marriage broke apart during this horrible time and added stress to an already difficult time. The day her radiation ended, her house went under renovation.
These additional stresses may have felled a lesser woman, but Tish is not a lesser woman. As she bounds around her kitchen, answering my questions and talking about ten different subjects at the same time, I am amazed and wowed. She is a survivor with humility, humour and a great gift for hindsight.
Says Tish “There is a reason I am on this journey and it is not for me to know the reason why. My part is to keep the faith, gather strength and stay positive for myself and all those around me.”
By Marjorie Fleming
Focus on Scugog
