Maria and her husband Peter photographed on June 9, 2012
by Chaz Salembier and Allison W. Gryphon
As
a young woman, life for Maria Rimkus was all about fashion, working for hot
designers like Pepe Jeans in Madrid and Tommy Hilfiger in New York. Just when her
career was taking off Maria got the call that changed her world. In 1990, at
the age of twenty-four, her battle with cancer had begun.
Maria
was far from home, living and working in Spain, when she found a lump on her
collarbone. It was Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Maria returned to the states and went through three months of intensive
treatment and radiation. She became a familiar face at Boston’s Dana Farber
Cancer Institute, first as a fighter and later as a survivor going in for
checkups.
Moving
on with life, Maria fell in love with Peter McLaughlin. They were married,
settled down in Florida and shortly thereafter brought a pair of beautiful twin
boys into the world. Cancer-free and
happy, Maria was living life to the fullest.
And
then, this past April, something changed. Maria wasn’t feeling like herself.
Peter
took her to the emergency room. Maria’s doctors in Boston were called. The next
day Maria and Peter were on the first flight out of Florida. Soon thereafter
Maria was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts
and liver. She was given six months to a year.
In
May, through her dear friend Kelly Schandel, Maria and Allison W. Gryphon were
introduced. The hope was for Maria to participate in Allison’s documentary What The F@#- Is Cancer and Why Does
Everybody Have It?. Logistics and treatments for both women prevented an
interview for the movie so we found another way to share the strength and determination
of this amazing woman.
Meet
Maria. This is her own story in her own words as told on June 10, 2012.
WHAT KIND OF
CANCER ARE YOU FIGHTING?
I
was at the Dana Farber clinic last November for testing and everything was
normal.
In
April, I was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma,
a rare cancer of the bile ducts and liver. They think it may have a
small metastasis to some lymph nodes. This will be confirmed after my next PET
and unfortunately means I am not a candidate for a liver transplant. My
prognosis is not good. The doctors said
if I live a year that would be considered a ‘homerun’.
IS THERE A
HISTORY OF CANCER IN YOUR FAMILY?
There
is a little history. My sister had
thyroid cancer in 1991, the year after I had Hodgkin’s.
DO YOU KNOW
WHERE YOUR CANCER CAME FROM?
Yes. When I had Hodgkin’s, the doctors marked me
with small tattoos where the radiation went in for precise location. My main tumors are directly over where the
radiation was done; therefore what saved me twenty-four years ago is what is
killing me now.
DID YOU THINK
YOU WERE AT RISK?
Yes,
due to my past history, I have always felt susceptible to another cancer.
WHAT TYPE OF
TREATMENT HAVE YOU BEEN THROUGH AND WHAT ARE YOU FACING?
I
have already done one round of six cycles of chemotherapy. I will probably do this to extend my life
expectancy for as long as possible. If I
get lucky and they let me have a liver and bile duct transplant, I may have a
better chance, but that would mean that the cancer had not metastasis as far as
they now think. I am also on many
medications, and two shots a day for blood thinners, as they have found blood
clots in my leg.
HAVE YOU
EXPERIENCED ANY SIDE EFFECTS FROM TREATMENTS OR SURGERY?
My
hair has thinned, but ironically even though I am on one of the harshest chemo
treatments, most people do not lose their hair on this chemo.
HOW IMPORTANT
ARE YOU FINDING DIET AND EXERCISE IN GETTING THROUGH THIS?
I
have always been athletic and worked out, but once I started feeling tired I was only doing yoga. Since I was diagnosed I have not worked out
at all, but am hoping that after a few more sessions of chemo I will find the
energy to start doing light exercises.
As
for diet, I have read so much. I love the book AntiCancer. I’ve met with a
macrobiotic specialist and nutritionist.
The macrobiotic diet, although it might be beneficial for a healthy
person and good in the long run, is not working for me at the moment. I need to gain weight and put on as many
calories as possible, which just is not happening on a macrobiotic diet. I think you should eat a plant-based diet,
but some organic meat is also fine.
HOW ARE YOU
FIGHTING CANCER EMOTIONALLY?
I
am mentally strong and positive, which I really believe is half the
battle. I have such a strong support
system of family and friends, and have been very open and honest about my fight
with cancer. We are an open book, with
my husband writing in a blog to keep everyone updated.
I
feel at peace, thinking that I have been given an extra twenty-four years of
life, in which time I met my wonderful husband and had my beautiful twin
boys. That does not mean I am not going
to fight my hardest to beat this and watch my boys grow up.
WHAT ADVICE
DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER CANCER FIGHTERS?
Keep
a positive attitude, go one day at a time so as not to be overwhelmed, and find
something good in everyday!
WHAT ADVICE
DO YOU HAVE FOR THE MEDICAL PROFESSION?
Be
compassionate, and try to put yourself in the position of the patient.
WHAT ADVICE
DO YOU HAVE FOR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CO-WORKERS OF CANCER FIGHTERS?
Be
supportive and let the cancer fighter know you are there for them, but also
give them their space. A lot of times we
don’t want visitors, and feel like we have to entertain when people come to
visit. We need our rest.
HOW DO YOU
FEEL ABOUT THE FUTURE? WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS?
I
am positive! I hope to have a great
future and want to watch my boys grow up.
I am hoping I will feel strong enough to go to my thirty year high
school reunion on the west coast this summer.
My husband and I also want to take the boys to Costa Rica for New Years
and celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary there, which is where we got
married.
FOR YOU IN
ONE WORD WHAT IS CANCER?
Insidious.
As of today
Maria is fighting the fight and feeling good with the help of acupuncture and
her amazing support system which you can learn more about at Caring Bridge.
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