In the News

by Sara Watson Arthurs, The Times-Standard, 9/26/06.

Carolyn Lehman has gone from fearing she might die to celebrating how to live.

Lehman, a 58-year-old Arcata writer and educator, is a uterine cancer survivor. She said shehad had symptoms for eight months before diagnosis. She said she was told she had irritable bowel syndrome and "all kinds of things" before her illness was finally diagnosed as uterine leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer of the uterus. She said she'd had tests to rule out other types of cancer.

Since symptoms of gynecologic cancers mimic digestive problems, the cancer is often misdiagnosed, Lehman said. She said women should be persistent in getting a diagnosis if they have symptoms like bloating and a change in digestive habits.

Lehman had a hysterectomy before the cancer was suspected. She said the cancer started in a benign fibroid tumor she'd had for some time.

"It's such a rare cancer that very little research has been done and so there wasn't a clear-cut path for treatment" she said.

She said she was surprised at how, soon after the cancer diagnosis, she had "to make a lot of decisions."

She ended up having a second surgery at the University of California, San Francisco and then had both chemotherapy and radiation.

Lehman was diagnosed in June 2003 and completed treatment in December of that year.

"I had fantastic support from my friends and my family," she said.

But she'd also heard that support groups could make a difference in these situations, and decided to join one. She contacted the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project, where she met another woman who'd survived uterine cancer seven years earlier. After a diagnosis that "felt like a death sentence," meeting someone who'd been through it and survived was inspiring, Lehman said.

"To see her and to know her was just so encouraging," she said.

Lehman and other women created a support group at the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project for women dealing with gynecological cancers.

"I learned so much from other people about how to face a life-threatening illness," she said.

The breast health project, a non-profit organization offering support to women dealing with breast cancer or related concerns, has since expanded to also help women with gynecological health issues.

"I have to say, the last three years of my life have been the richest years," Lehman said.

She said having cancer forced her to reassess her life and figure out her priorities. She completed and published a book, Strong At the Heart, on healing from childhood sexual abuse. She said she continues to hear from people affected by abuse who've told her the book makes a difference.

"I've spoken about Strong At the Heart all over the country," Lehman said.

Lehman said she's also had the opportunity to visit China, climb a mountain and bicycle through Europe.

"I want people to know that there is life after diagnosis," she wrote in an e-mail to the Times-Standard. "The challenge is to figure out how to live your life, no matter how short or how long it may be."

She said she takes joy in "waking up every morning and just saying, 'Wow, I have another day! What am I going to do with the gift of this day?'"