Mother of Three Says Early Detection Saved Her Life

"The evening after my hysterectomy, my doctor had been given the daunting task of informing me and those family members present that the suspicious area had already advanced to the cancer stage. This meant the cancer was invasive and had spread. In the blink of an eye, my world came crashing down. I was free to go home and face the difficult task of explaining to my children that I could have less than a year in which to live a lifetime." Congetta Gieger recently wrote these words in a memoir describing a life-altering moment in time. But it was to be the beginning of a journey of personal discovery with more far-reaching effects than she could ever have imagined then.

After a routine gynecological examination and Pap smear in the spring of 1996, the 34-year-old mother of three was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cervical cancer. That life has limits in time and space is one of the terms on which human beings accept life, but without usually having to contemplate those boundaries with the precision that catastrophic illness demands. Today, Congetta celebrates life anew after having faced her own mortality and survived. Her early perception of her cancer as a "death sentence" has changed during the past six years. She now describes the cancer as "my greatest gift," as she shares her legacy of hope and faith with others.

A native of Houma, Louisiana, Congetta Ward Gieger moved to Jones County at age 5 with her family. After a happy childhood in Laurel with loving Christian parents, she enjoyed single life until age 25, when she met soulmate Chip Gieger to whom she was married the following year. Since both were secure in their careers and the household budget was financially sound, they planned a family, eventually having three children—daughter Tori, now age 6; son Evan, age 9; and daughter Alex, age 12. "Our life couldn't have been better, even in a dream," Congetta says. "We were both very strong in our faith, which is easy to do when there haven't been any major adversities in your life. Granted, we had our ups and downs, but on the whole, everything was pretty darn good. Then, out of the blue, I was blind-sided."

After the birth of her third baby in March 1996, Congetta scheduled a routine, yearly Pap smear with Dr. Mike Weber, who delivered her last two babies. Since she had never missed her annual checkup and enjoyed abundant good health, Congetta was disturbed when a call from the doctor's office informed her that the test was abnormal—a class three. She was instructed to use a prescription cream, the normal course of treatment, and return in six weeks for additional tests. During her next visit, Dr. Weber talked with Congetta about her options, which included conducting additional diagnostic tests. The tests were scheduled and the outcome revealed severe dysplasia. He explained that the report was not a good one and again discussed with her the options. Since Congetta had three children at home who were all under the age of 5, she opted for the safest route, which was to proceed immediately with a hysterectomy. A biopsy taken during her surgery revealed that Congetta had a rare, aggressive form of cervical cancer that required she endure a painful radium implant.

Today, at age 40, Congetta has been cancer-free for the past five years and measures life moment-by-moment from that year-long battle with cancer. Like many cancer survivors, she, too, describes the experience as transcendent, freeing her from a prison of "doing" with a new emphasis on "being."

"I refused to die with cancer. I might die as a result of cancer, but not with it," she says. "But I do want some good to come of it. I now constantly try to comfort and be of assistance to those I come in contact with who are struggling to find answers to the haunting question of, 'Why me, God?' as they face cancer. My response to this question is 'Why not me?' God does not promise to exempt us from crosses and tribulations in life, but I did come to feel that he had a purpose in all of this pain.

"I always had a strong faith, so I was not afraid of dying. So, why was I so angry and afraid in the early days after the diagnosis? The nights were the worst when I woke up crying. But that provided Chip an opportunity to offer me up in prayer. It eventually brought our relationship to a new level.

"And when my daughter Alex came to me and asked if I was going to die from this cancer, I thought that I should lie and say, 'Mommy will be just fine.' She was only age 6 then. It took courage to muster the strength to tell her the truth-the truth that, in fact, I very well could die from this cancer but my prognosis looked good. Hopefully, the radium implants worked, but there was no way of knowing. It was a waiting game. How much time did I have left? But, it was the truth and honesty we shared that gave our relationship its present strong foundation."

Congetta continued, "When I was evaluating my life and looking back to discover what things I regretted, there were not many. There was sadness when I thought that the next Christmas might be the last with my children. So, I was not so quick to rush and pick up the Christmas wrappings on the floor. I stopped and enjoyed the moment.

"And I don't clean the house so much anymore. I no longer make decisions based on money. Gaining a few extra pounds is no longer the big concern that it used to be. I like myself so much better now. That's not to say that there isn't room for further improvement. There is, of course. But I have so much more insight than I did. My life is so much more vibrant now. I have chosen to live whatever days I am blessed with to the fullest. During the three days of isolation when I literally could not move after the radium implant, there was so much pain that I finally reached a point where I stopped struggling and simply released to God. And, from that point, I felt his presence and peace come over me," she says. "The fear was gone."

Congetta is quick to point out that she makes no claims to saintliness. She realizes that each person who experiences cancer will do so in a unique way within the framework of his or her own beliefs. However, she cannot imagine anyone facing death without personal spiritual examination or without making peace with one's concept of the Divine.

"I have learned so much about myself," she reflects. "My eyes have been opened to what is truly important. And once your eyes are opened, you cannot go back to your previous way of responding to the world and others. And while your focus may still be on earthly things, you see life and experience it differently.

"All of a sudden, you realize that nothing feels softer than a baby's skin. You can never say 'I love you' enough. There are probably a zillion shades of green around us every day and the sky is the most incredible shade of blue. Chocolate is the most delightful flavor for my taste buds, and nothing smells better than bread baking in the oven, except for maybe the smell of rain in the air. Sand feels really good to my toes. And nothing sounds better than children's laughter, but the sound of children singing runs a close second. I could go on for days and days with the list of my discoveries.

"You see, knowing that each moment and each experience could be my last, I chose to embrace and appreciate each and every one of them. I have done more quality living in the past five years since my cancer than I did in the previous 34 years combined."

Congetta says that she always wanted to get a formal college education. After being in remission for five years and being "cancer free," she decided to enroll at Jones Junior College to work toward the fulfillment of her dream to become an elementary school teacher. She also has discovered a talent for writing and public speaking. Treasuring each day of her five years in remission, she continues to follow-up with a strict regimen of preventive medicine.

"I encourage all to be aware of their body and diligent with early detection resources. There were no signs or symptoms of my cancer. My routine Pap smear was the only way my cancer was detected. Too many women still neglect their routine yearly examination, or do not follow-up after getting a slightly abnormal Pap smear. It is imperative that women be more diligent in protecting their health," she urges.

Asked if she would exchange this newly found connection to life to have escaped cancer altogether, Congetta emphatically declares, "Absolutely not. Cancer became my greatest gift, and early detection has provided me with five of the most glorious years of my life."

The editorial content of this online publication is taken from the print version of Life Matters published by South Central Regional Medical Center.

t o p |o f |p a g e