Published: October 08, 2009 10:02 am      

Numbing experience

Gertie Gammon, 72, 730 Schick Road, is a survivor. On Sept. 23, Gertie celebrated five years of being cancer-free.

Just a week before the five-year mark. Gertie also celebrated her birthday. However, she said she found the anniversary of being cancer free to be the more exciting occasion. Friends and family helped her celebrate the milestone.

Gertie was working as a receptionist in the x-ray department of Medical Associates in March 2004, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was having her yearly mammogram on March 11, 2004, when the new CAD unit caught something. Gertie said when the films were read, there was no doubt that the cancer was there.

“When they tell you that you have cancer, for 10 minutes you will know nothing but the words ‘cancer, death, cancer, death.’ That's what went through my head. I have talked to many people who have gotten these diagnoses about cancer and that’s the first thing that goes through their head,” said Gertie, adding, “So no matter what anybody says to you, it probably- the first five to ten minutes- is not registering.”

Gertie said she was numb when she learned the news. However, she said she was lucky to have her best friend Nancy VonThun, who also worked in the x-ray department of Medical Associates, with her during the ordeal. Gertie said VonThun was her “rock” and stayed with her.

Cancer was found in Gertie’s right breast and she was given a lumpectomy. Doctors also removed a few lymphnodes and they were found to have cancerous cells. Gertie then had to take treatments. She went through chemotherapy four times and radiation for 30 days. Gertie said one of her initial reactions to the diagnosis was to ask why she had cancer.

She said there was not a history of cancer in her family.

“So my question was ‘Why me?’ My answer, ‘Why not me? What made me so very special that I should not get it?’” said Gertie.

“And I think if you ask yourself ‘Why me?’ and you answer yourself and say, ‘What makes me so special that I should not have had this,’ the next thing you have to make is a decision. Am I going to fight this? Am I going to let it take over,” said Gertie. “I chose to fight it and no it was not easy. Chemo makes you very tired. Everything I ate tasted like cardboard. You don’t have an appetite. You have to eat, but you don’t have an appetite.”

Gertie was scared when the time came for her first chemotherapy session. She said she was worried about the treatment and what side effects she would face. She said she could never find a cold drink. No matter what temperature a drink was, Gertie said it always seemed to be warm to her — even with ice cubes in it. Gertie was extremely tired in the days following her treatments.

“Chemo makes you tired. Radiation makes you more tired,” said Gertie.

Gertie said she felt lucky to have such great doctors and nurses at Medical Associates and Mercy Medical Center. While her first and last five radiation treatments had to be performed at Iowa City, most of her treatments were done locally. Gertie said the local personnel are truly talented. She said her doctors and nurses were always compassionate, patient and willing to answer any questions. Gertie said she was lucky to receive support from a variety of sources.

“If you have cancer, you’ve got to have an attitude that you’re going to beat it. And it’s very difficult to keep that attitude up. Without the support of my husband, here at home, I probably would have fell on my face many times,” said Gertie. She said her husband, Roger, did everything for her. He shaved her head when her hair began falling out. After her surgery, Roger helped Gertie take showers and took her to Colorado to see their daughter and grandson. While going through her chemotherapy, Gertie said she no longer felt comfortable driving herself. Her husband drove her to and from work every day.

Throughout her fight against the cancer, Gertie continued to work at Medical Associates. She said having something to look forward to each day helped. Gertie said she received a great deal of support from her co-workers in the x-ray department and was even given a “hat shower.” A total of 16 women from her work attended the shower and gave her a hat to wear. Some bought their hats, while others made or decorated theirs.

Gertie received some plain hats or baseball caps. She also received some very unique ones. One hat she received was red with a cardinal on top of it. She received a hat with sunglasses attached. Another hat had stickers on it with phrases like “Be the best you can be” on it. Gertie said the most unique hat features dreadlocks hanging from the sides and back. Beads and ribbons are in the dreadlocks. Ribbons, stickers, a metal bracelet and a spinner also decorate the hat.

Every day for months, Gertie wore a different hat. She said she was sure to wear every single one of them. People in the clinic would come to see what hat she had on. On the last day that Gertie brought her hats, she brought all of them and had the person who gave her each hat wear it for the day. She said some of them were hesitant to wear their hats at work. Overall, she said it was a fun day. To this day, Gertie still has all of the hats.

Gertie said her faith really pulled her through her struggle with breast cancer. She said her friends, family and the members of her church, Trinity Lutheran offered her much needed support.

“You have to draw strength from something or someone. The best place to get that strength is to have faith in God. He’ll see you through it. It may not be the answers that you want, but he will see you through it,” said Gertie.

For the past six years Gertie has also been an active participant of Relay for Life. She said this is an “awesome” event. Her favorite part is the survivor’s lap.

“When the people come down out of the bleachers and they form on that track and you see how many people are survivors. And you walk one complete lap, this is down at Camanche they have it. You walk that one complete lap. You look ahead of you and there’s people. You look behind you and there’s people. And you look at yourself and you go ‘I am a survivor,’” said Gertie.



Each Thursday during the month of October the Clinton Herald will chronicle one local person’s survivor story with breast cancer.