Chapter 1: Round One-Neuroblastoma 1949

Loie with her light and life on her shoulders.

Blog's are curious things- I'm not sure how much one is willing to read.  So in this precious space I need to convince you to read Loie's chapter in full.  Here is why:

• Advocacy has come a LONG way  Loie's account provides the historical context of cancer in 1949 from the diagnosis of neuroblastoma, to surgery, radiation and follow up.  For example, Loie is told she can not tell her daughter she lost the eye FOR A WHOLE YEAR!!!!  They also had to promise they would not tell family or friends that it was removed. 
• Doctor-patient relationship  This critical relationship starts for mom at age 5 and is a reoccuring theme until Dr. Sisson in 1999.  House calls aside, Loie recounts visiting Dr. Stephen's at HIS bedside, he near death with blood poisoning.  He observes mom's own surgery in a wheelchair, and his wife is there. 
• Coping  All her life Loie coped with guilt and grieving.  A lot of early stress was due to hospitals as an institution.  For example, parents then were not allowed because, "[t]he nurses could not deal with the children's tears if they said goodbye to the parents each day." 
• Childhood friends  One of her homecoming presents was a double sized bed so she could have sleepovers.  Overnights must have felt a long way off when they brought their fragile child home with a shaved and bandaged head. 
• Radiation treatment in 1949 (just typing it makes me shudder) The chapter ends with mom's radiation treatment.  Loie is allowed to go in the x-ray room with mom, both with lead aprons on.  She read to mom as she lay on the table.
• The "C" word  Loie describes cancer as "a frightening thing from which almost no one at that time recovered."  The family physicians reaction to mom's terminal label offers Loie hope that sustained over 50 years.
• Cost of care  The surgeon's estimates of $10,000 to remove the cancer cells fill Loie's heart with dread.  The bill arrives for only $250.  "If I could I would have kissed his feet."  Loie sent Christmas cards every year to the surgeon, and unbelievably he would always answer with thanks.
• Proverbial when it rains, it pours  Adding to a year of heartache, both of mom's grandfathers die in 1949 after the surgery.  The whole family must have felt stunned.  Sadly I understand; we lost mom and Loie both to cancer in 1999.

All these themes are set up in Loie's text and re-occur throughout mom's book.  (yes, the scan is sideways but just print it or download and rotate it, a thousand pardons).