Life Matters | winter 2007

Life’s Lessons: Facing
Them and Winning

It was just a little knot that suddenly appeared on Glenda Chatham’s face. She admitted that had the bump appeared on her back, or another place where clothes would cover it up, she probably wouldn’t have been so quick to address the issue. But a test performed by a dermatologist brought back news that the knot was a type of skin cancer known as melanoma.

“It is a very rare form of cancer that tends to afflict older people,” Chatham says, laughing at the thought that at 56 she was in that category. “The dermatologist said we needed to get a plastic surgeon on it immediately.”

On February 14, 2005, minimally invasive surgery was performed, and a section of tissue the size of a half dollar was removed from Chatham’s face. Luckily, the cancer didn’t have enough time to spread to nearby lymph nodes. Chatham’s quick reaction to the knot very likely saved her life, as cancer becomes much more difficult to treat once it has spread to other parts of the body.

After the knot was removed, it was up to the physicians at Jefferson Medical Associates and Oncologics, Inc., to do their part. It was an experience that Chatham says gave her the strength to fight the battle.

The Most Advanced Treatments, Minutes from Home

Kelvin Raybon, MD, a hematologist/ medical oncologist with Jefferson Medical Associates, gave Chatham a first ray of hope during their initial meeting. It was a conversation that was inspirational and much needed due to the uncertainty of cancer and the treatment of the disease.

“I remember him coming into the examination room and telling me there isn’t anything anyone else can do for me that they can’t,” recalls Chatham. “It gave me a sense of peace to know that he had that much confidence in what he was doing and what he knew about my condition.”

Chatham wasn’t sure up until that point just what kind of care she could expect from a local facility. Her mother had traveled all the way to Houston, Texas, when she was treated for her cancer so that she could have the latest procedures. Chatham soon discovered that the most advanced treatments were here in Laurel, just minutes away from home and work. “I was pleasantly surprised and relieved,” Chatham says.

“The removal of tumors through surgery and the use of radiation to kill cancer cells will continue to be important factors in treating patients,” says Dr. Raybon. “But the real advances have come with the drug treatments for cancer, and we can do chemotherapy right here. It is very efficient, and something we do very well.”

Chemotherapy with Pinpoint Precision

In years past, chemotherapy would kill cancer cells and also destroy healthy cells in the process. That led to after effects for the patient. Drug therapy in today’s cancer treatment regimen is far more accurate. It pinpoints the tumor area and leaves noncancerous cells virtually unharmed.

“We are using drugs that can attack cancer on molecular levels like never before,” says Dr. Raybon. “Using antibodies, we can zero in on one molecule of a cancer cell. That’s precision.”

No Hair? No Worries

Chatham, scheduled to start radiation treatment at Oncologics, Inc., in September 2005, had yet another hurdle to deal with. It had nothing to do with cancer, but rather a little storm Mother Nature brought down on Jones County in August of that year. But Chatham was able to see the silver lining.

“My radiation treatments had to be delayed because of Hurricane Katrina,” says Chatham. “But while other women were complaining because of their hair and not having a hair dryer, I was wearing a wig so I had the best hair of them all.”

Chatham was told she could possibly experience permanent hair loss, the loss of a saliva gland, the loss of her teeth, and maybe even permanent injury to her jaw. All she had to say to that was, “I can deal with that.”

Along with that newfound strength, Chatham has built up her sense of humor. “I have a bald spot on the back of my head,” she says, pulling up her hair, which is now long enough to hide the area. “Now I can’t make fun of men who have comb-overs, because I have a comb-down.”

Minimal Side Effects, Infinite Support

During her treatments, Chatham kept expecting to wake up with severe back pain, a common occurrence in many people who have radiation treatments. But it hardly ever came. That was due in large part to the excellent attention to detail by Dr. Pimperl and his staff, who Chatham confessed became a huge support group for her and the other patients at Oncologics, Inc.

Kelvin Raybon, MD, FACS, general surgeon

“From the moment I went through chemo and radiation treatments, the staff was always there to deal with my needs as they arose,” says Chatham. “Whether it was nausea, or weakness, or whatever, they had the answer to everything. I just can’t say enough about the doctors and nurses and the other staff. They were more than I could have hoped for.”

Living Life to Its Fullest

Dr. Raybon says the success of a person’s recovery from such a debilitating disease as cancer depends largely on the person’s personal health and attitude. Chatham will tell you the keys to personal health and attitude come from both within and from outside sources.

“Once you go through something like this, you never look at the world the same way again,” says Chatham. “You’ve been tested and you passed. With the support of people around me, my faith in God, and modern medicine, I was able to get through this.”