Since learning of Gloria Borges' passing yesterday, I've been both touched and heartbroken reading the collection of memories and condolences all over Facebook. One thing is certain, she was a courageous young woman who fought cancer with everything she had. Gloria also fought for more than her own survival, she strove to end colon cancer for all, and thus formed The WonderGlo Foundation. For more on the amazing work she has done (and others will continue), take a look here: http://www.wunderglofoundation.org/
I'd like to take a step out of my comfort zone and tell everyone about how Gloria very well may have saved my life. The story includes some personal information that I've mostly kept to myself, but I think I owe it to Gloria to share.
In the spring of 2011, I was pregnant with my first son and began having some rectal bleeding. My OBGYN thought it was likely caused by hemorrhoids, a very common side effect of pregnancy. They referred me to my GP. My GP came to the same conclusion, gave me some treatment options and said to come back if the bleeding continued. Well, it did. So I went back and was referred to a Colorectal specialist.
It probably goes without saying that these appointments were uncomfortable. The most comforting part of it all is that they all came to the same conclusion - it's just hemorrhoids, very common, should go away when I have my baby. However, the specialist I saw made a comment at the end of my visit that, should I feel the need, I might consider coming back for a "closer look" after the baby was born. It wasn't mandatory, no one seemed to think it was necessary, and we left it at that.
A couple of months after having my son, I was reading some of Gloria's blog posts and I began to wonder if I should go back to get that "closer look". No one seemed to think I needed it, it was going to be really uncomfortable, and normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But there I was, reading Gloria's encouragement not to ignore symptoms and to be your own advocate, and I decided I would suck it up and make an appointment.
The morning of my appointment, hungry from fasting, wishing I'd not been so inspired the week before, I dragged myself in and had the little procedure. My doctor, who had started the process very light hearted and full of jokes, had a swift change in tone. "Well, I wasn't expecting this. It looks like you have a polyp. It's likely nothing to be concerned about, but we'll need to have a full colonoscopy to remove it and look to see if there's anything else going on there." He went on to say "It's a good thing we're seeing this now, it's easy to remove, but a few years from now this would likely have developed into cancer."
Maybe. Who knows? Maybe it just would have sat there as a little polyp and nothing else. But, maybe five, even ten years from now, it would have become cancer. Because Gloria shared her story and was such a loud voice for awareness of this awful disease, I am writing a silly little story of finding a polyp, and not, five years from now, telling my family I have cancer. So, I owe her a lot.
I emailed her after the colonoscopy (all was fine, I just have to go back now every couple of years to be checked) to let her know and to thank her for the role she played in getting checked out. She responded, in part:
"What a wonderful email to receive - thank you so much, Ginny!! It is always so powerful and satisfying to know that I've helped people -- especially wonderful people like you -- by sharing my story. Honestly, it makes all of this so worth it to me."
Gloria impacted so many, mine is just a small story, a singular testament to the difference she made. She will be missed.
