Judy G. Celebrates 10 Years of Mesothelioma Survivorship
A decade after doctors diagnosed Judy G. with pleural mesothelioma, she’s still receiving treatment and adapting as her health and treatment options continue to change. Now 71, Judy has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, a clinical trial and tumor ablation since her diagnosis in March 2016.
Mesothelioma has changed Judy’s life, but it hasn’t defined it. Today, Judy is a master gardener and shares that interest with people in her community. She works with children at her local library on planting seeds and also gives talks about saving seeds.
Even while receiving chemotherapy treatments, Judy still gardens and stays involved. “Other than that, I’m doing fine,” she says. “I garden. And I do a lot of other things.”
Community involvement has been part of Judy’s life for decades. She served as a library trustee for 20 years and has been a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for 50 years.
She also volunteers with a local organization teaching Matter of Balance classes for seniors. The 8-week program covers fall prevention, home safety and exercises designed to improve strength and balance. Judy has been involved with the program for about 8 years.
Before retiring, she spent about 40 years working as a registered dental hygienist. She also worked in health and life insurance sales and spent part of her career with John Deere in property and liability insurance.
Now, after reaching a milestone she once may not have imagined, Judy reflects on the last 10 years. But she’s also looking ahead and making plans for her future.
Surgery, Chemo and a Search for the Right Treatment
Early in her treatment, Judy traveled to Boston for surgery with Dr. Rafael Bueno at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She underwent pleurectomy/decortication, a lung-sparing surgery that removes the pleural lining and visible tumors.
Surgery marked the beginning of a treatment journey that would continue for years. Judy says she received 3 rounds of chemo but developed an allergic reaction to cisplatin, forcing her care team to stop the drug. Radiation treatment followed.
Judy later started immunotherapy, but the first treatment caused severe problems with her joints. Judy already had arthritis, and the pain became so intense that her oncologist sent her to a rheumatologist to figure out what was happening.
“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t walk,” Judy tells us. “My husband, poor thing, had to help me get dressed and undressed.” At times, she needed a walker or wheelchair and rarely left home.
Mesothelioma Treatment Changes, Trials and Side Effects
Her doctors stopped the first immunotherapy treatment and tried a different one. Judy says the second treatment worked much better for her. She continued to see benefits for about 3 years before it eventually stopped controlling her cancer.
She then joined a clinical drug trial at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and remained in the study for more than a year. Judy says the treatment went well overall, but managing the effects on her kidneys became a challenge and required strict dietary restrictions that were especially difficult for her.
More recently, Judy returned to Boston for tumor ablation after new tumors developed. Tumor ablation destroys cancer tissue with targeted heat. She says Dr.Bueno has remained involved in her care even a decade after her original surgery.
Judy continues chemo today. She’s been on her current mesothelioma treatment for about a year and has started experiencing fatigue, anemia and other side effects. She has also needed blood transfusions to help manage her low red blood cell counts.
A Sense of Humor and a Goal for the Future
Judy has found that humor helps her find balance in the realities of living with mesothelioma long-term, including ongoing appointments and procedures. During one discussion about a procedure, her oncologist joked about putting her in a large room where she would hear something that reminded her of popcorn.
Judy immediately played along. “Oh, do I have to bring butter too?” she remembers asking. “You have to have humor in this whole thing.”
Judy says she isn’t focused on making an elaborate list of future plans. Her biggest goal is simple. “Be here for another 10 years,” she explains. “That’s my biggest goal.” She laughs and adds, “ And to drive my husband crazy.”
For now, she says being here is the goal that outweighs all the others. But Judy says she would also like to travel again if her health improves enough.
Her advice for someone who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma reflects the way she has approached the last decade. Judy says to keep moving forward even when treatment gets difficult or if the future feels uncertain.
“Just plot ahead and take every day at a time,” Judy shares. “Take every day as a blessing.”
