On Valentine’s Day 1996, 19-year-old Trisha Henry Gaffney was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive tumor of the muscle. Trisha’s was the first reported case to occur in the right ureter, the tube connecting the kidney and bladder.
After going through surgery, Trisha received chemotherapy and radiation at Children's.
Her treatment ended in April 1997, and as a young adult, she was ready to put her attention on her future.
In May 1998, Trisha decided to volunteer as a Camp Sunshine counselor, helping children navigate the physical and emotional hurdles of battling cancer.
A fellow counselor, Kati Gardner, encouraged Trisha to visit the new Survivor Clinic at Children’s, but the idea of going to even more doctors didn’t sit well with her.
“You don’t want your cancer to define you,” Trisha said, “but as you get older, you realize it plays a much bigger part in your life than you’re willing to admit.”
After several years of going to general doctors for check-ups, Trisha finally made an appointment with the Survivor Clinic.
During her first appointment, Trisha received a survivor healthcare plan. The plan included a medical summary of her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and also provided a list of late effects (health problems) she was at risk for because of her cancer treatment. Dr. Lillian Meacham, Medical Director of the Cancer Survivor Program mentioned that one of the late effects was infertility. Wanting to better understand her fertility status, Trisha made an appointment with a fertility specialist.
The lab work obtained in the fertility clinic showed Trisha’s chemotherapy and 23 radiation treatments had damaged her female reproductive system.
Only one ovary was working and the radiation had damaged her uterus; she was approaching an early menopause and likely would not be able to carry a child. But options were available to Trisha and through working with the infertility specialist, Trisha was able to have the child she had hoped for – a healthy daughter.
“If I hadn’t had my friend telling me to go to the Survivor Clinic,” Trisha said, “I wouldn’t have my daughter.”
The effect of the Survivorship Program isn’t lost on Trisha. Without the intervention of doctors and nurses in her health, her life would be incredibly different.
“If I hadn’t had my friend telling me to go to the Survivor Clinic,” Trisha said, “I wouldn’t have my daughter.”
She encourages survivors to take advantage of the resources available through the Survivor Program so they can become healthy, happy adults.
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