Ree’s Cancer Journey
Uncover the strength in Ree’s battle with lip cancer and her journey to healing. Follow the 30 Stories campaign for more inspiring journeys.
Ree // 30 Stories Campaign™ // Oral Cancer Awareness
When I was diagnosed with lip squamous cell carcinoma in 2009, a part of my lip was removed. It was eventually replaced with tissue from my wrist and shaped to look like a lip. Initially, the wrist tissue on my lip was so large that it was hard to breathe. My doctor had to start with so much because the surgical team needed to have extra tissue available for my later surgeries.
This would eventually restore my lip. In fact, the whole reconstructive process was so unique and extensive that it was featured in a head and neck reconstruction medical textbook for surgeons!
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I never felt like my life had been divided into the time before and after I was diagnosed with cancer because I was never deprived of my normal activities in the first place.
The whole reconstruction process involved nine or ten surgeries over the year. To be honest, the worst part of it all was not the number of surgeries but the first surgery when they took the skin from my wrist. That was a long, painful healing process. I never felt like my life had been divided into the time before and after I was diagnosed with cancer because I was never deprived of my normal activities in the first place. I did have to cancel a highly anticipated trip to Italy with my friends, but I was still able to continue to work from home.
My loved ones were always with me throughout this journey, and I feel very grateful to have supportive friends, a wonderful caring husband, and an amazing doctor. However, it felt good when I started to travel for work again–to escape the familiar vicinity of home and the hospital. That’s when I truly realized that the long, winding journey had finally ended.
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Don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Be well informed about the surgical procedures, the treatment and the timeline.
Although I am not the person to dwell on misfortunes, something that affects me day-to-day after this experience is taking pictures. I avoid having my picture taken because my smile is asymmetrical. I asked my doctor if it would be possible to make an incision in the corner of my lip to restore my smile, but he told me that would leave me drooling for the rest of my life. I know it is a miracle that I still have what resembles a lip after this experience, and most importantly, the cancer is gone. I am grateful to be in the place that I am today.
I have realized through caregiving for my daughter, Amy, who is also on her own head and neck cancer journey, that I was very fortunate to have avoided chemoradiation. My heart goes out to all the patients who are going through chemoradiation therapy and the challenging side effects associated with it.
With matters of your health, you should make no compromises.
Something I must stress to anyone undergoing cancer treatment: don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. Be well informed about the surgical procedures, the treatment and the timeline. I was unprepared when the time came for my treatment—I had no idea that it would take a whole year and numerous surgeries to restore my lip. I was also unprepared for the amount of time I would need to wait and heal between surgeries.
An important piece of advice that I would give other patients is to be rigorous in the search for the right doctor. With matters of your health, you should make no compromises. I am grateful that I was treated by the right hands. I now consider my doctor a dear friend. Our friendship now is something I value even more than our relationship as patient and doctor.
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For someone recently diagnosed with cancer, reading the stories of other caregivers and survivors can inspire.
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