Cancer survivor finds comfort in Relay for Life

In working with Relay for Life, Bigfork resident Pat McBride counts herself among the lucky of the cancer survivors she coordinates.

McBride had stage I breast cancer more than four years ago and had a mastectomy. Her lymph nodes were clear, which meant she didn't have to do chemotherapy then.

But, that changed in October. This time it wasn't as a result of breast cancer, but ovarian cancer.

"I had had some pain over the summer, but not much really to think about," McBride said.

McBride went in for an unrelated minor surgery and they stopped when they found a huge mass on her right ovary.

A week later she was back in surgery, this time to remove stage III ovarian cancer.

That's the danger with ovarian cancer — it's quiet, difficult to detect and often deadly.

"I couldn't believe it," McBride said of finding out she had cancer again. "You do that, 'Why me? What did I do?'"

Even though the cancer was advanced, McBride got lucky. About 95 percent of it was just on the ovary and hadn't spread into other parts of her body. She did have some on her intestine and pancreas.

She's been going through 18 weeks of chemotherapy, the last of which is Monday, May 17, the same day as the Relay for Life kick-off event and the day after her 75th birthday.

This is fitting since this year's Relay for Life theme is "Happy Birthday," celebrating the fact that survivors get to see another birthday.

McBride said she's relieved that genetic testing results showed that her ovarian cancer won't be passed down to the women in her family — her two daughters, four granddaughters and three great-granddaughters. Her daughters, if it had been genetic, would have gone in to get full hysterectomies.

"It's a death sentence, that's for sure." McBride said. "I'm lucky I went in for that other surgery. You just never know."

McBride had a partial hysterectomy at 39, but doctors left her ovaries.

"If they had taken my ovaries, I wouldn't be like this today," McBride said, removing her hat to show her hair loss from chemotherapy treatments. She laughs about this addition to her physique, "I get ready a lot faster in the morning."

Unfortunately for McBride, ovarian cancer nearly always returns somewhere else in the body.

"Ovarian cancer can and will come back somewhere," McBride said. "I know mine's going to come back."

She is part of a support group she refers to as the "O-girls," and those women demonstrate how the return can come at any time. One woman has been clear for 11 years, but another was first diagnosed five years ago and hers has come back three times.

"I'm almost 75. I hope at my age to live another 10 years," McBride said. "I have to live for today — every one, every minute. I think about that every morning when I get up, to make the most of this day. I have to keep that attitude."

Continuing her work with Relay for Life has been both a welcome distraction and an encouragement.

"It's such a God-send," McBride said of Relay. "It keeps my mind off what's going on. A lot of people out there are 20 times worse than I am. When I start feeling bad for myself, I say, 'Pat, cool it. You're lucky to be feeling as good as you do.'"

Aside from her work with Relay for Life, she's worked as a volunteer with the Bass Breast Center and meets with a group of women who had or have breast cancer.

She hopes to get back out on the golf course this summer. She's also very active at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church.

McBride encourages survivors in the area who haven't already been contacted by Relay for Life to call Susan Kraft at 250-7072 to get on the list.

"If there are survivors out there, we'd like to know who they are and like for them to get involved. That's who we're honoring," McBride said.

The group is also always looking for volunteers.

"It's the same girls, the same hard working group doing the same work," McBride said. "We desperately need new faces coming in."