Can't believe it was highlighted!

lizdeli
lizdeli Member Posts: 569 Member
in Anal Cancer #1
Those of us treated at MD Anderson receive newsletters, etc. I just received the latest Network newsletter. To my astonishment, a profile of an anal cancer patient was hightlighted! I was so surprised and appreciative. Ebba Dunn is a organist at Trintity Episcopal Church in Alabama. She traveled to MD Anderson and was treated by of course, Dr. Eng and Dr.Crane. That was over a year ago. Her friend in Houston was there for her and helped her through it, which is much of what the article was about. Ebba talks a little about the treatment - six weeks of radiation, chemo bag all week long and six-hour infusion every Monday (this is the Cisplatin version versus Mito).

I'm excited that a fellow anal cancer survivor was highlighted. As we all know, anal cancer gets little attention and this article made me happy. In it's way, it helps to ward off the stigma that some of us sometimes feel.

Just wanted to share that. I will see Dr. Eng in two weeks and will tell her how happy I am that it was highlighted!

Hugs to all,
Liz

Comments

  • Dog Girl
    Dog Girl Member Posts: 100
    #2
    Highlighted
    I agree that it is good news that anal cancer was highlighted in a newsletter from such a prestigious hospital as MD Anderson. I know it is a personal decision for each of us of how much we want to share with others (not here of course; we are sisters and brothers here who can speak freely knowing there will be no virtual funny looks or accusations)about the type of cancer we have, but I do think the more publicity there is about it the less stigma there may be. I went through tx in 2009 and while it was rough to see Farrah die just after I finished treatment, it somehow helped that someone famous had had it. I could reference that I had the same type of cancer as Farrah Fawcett. I myself am very open about it and if I get questioned I tell people that you can get cancer in any part of your body and that everyone has an anal canal that we use on a regular basis. I also talk to my friends with younger children about them getting the HPV vaccine too.
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #3
    God Bless Ebba!
    What she did is wonderful and I applaud her for allowing her story to be featured in a newsletter that goes out to large numbers of people. That is the only way that people will get more comfortable talking about this disease and accepting the fact that it can strike anyone. Good for her!

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