Mandy A.

Ovarian Cancer, 6-year survivor

“Six years ago, I was engaged to be married, and living back at home with my parents to save money. It was a fun and exciting time in my life. I was going to be marrying the man that I loved, and my mother and I were having a great time planning the wedding.

In February of 2000, I went to my gynecologist for a routine check-up. During that check-up, my doctor felt something that was not right. She assured me that it was probably nothing and wanted me to have an ultrasound. I was lucky enough that there was an appointment available the next day.

This was the day that changed my life forever. It was something, a mass, of what my doctor did not know. My mother was with me, and my doctor sat us down and told us the possibilities. One of those possibilities was ovarian cancer. She wanted me to see a doctor at Mass General. His name was Arlan Fuller, and we were told that he was the best at what he did.

My mother and I left feeling overwhelmed and confused. I was also apprehensive about meeting Dr. Fuller. Because I was told he was the best, I assumed that he would be one of those doctors who talks to his patients like they are children and treats them like another statistic instead of an actual human being.

I could not have been more wrong about Dr. Fuller. I had such a feeling of relief come over me when I met him because I could tell right away that he was kind and warm and that he had a sense of humor. I knew that he was going to make this experience as easy as possible for me.

I still had hope that what they found was not cancer and was just a cyst, but those hopes were soon dashed. I DID have cancer. My father was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was 30 and died when he was 33. I was 30 years old and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was getting married in eight months, I wanted to start a family, but now I had to have a hysterectomy. I had my wedding gown ordered. It was strapless, but I had to have a port inserted just to the right of my left armpit. This is where they would inject the chemicals into my body that would cause me to lose my hair before my wedding day.

None of this was easy to absorb. I was lucky enough to have the love and support of my family, my friends, and my fiancé. Everybody kept telling me how lucky I was that my doctor at home sent me to Mass General. I knew that though. I knew what an amazing hospital it was and that I would be receiving world-class medical care. I also knew that I was in the hands of Dr. Fuller and that he would do what he does best and remove the cancer from my body.

The surgery was a success, and the next step was recovering in the hospital and having my first chemo treatment before I went home. When I was in the hospital, I was in awe of the nurses, most of whom seemed younger than I was at the time. They not only were good at what they did and had tremendous knowledge regarding what I needed as a patient, but they made me, and my family, feel comfortable and at ease. The same can be said for the nurses who administered the remainder of my treatments as an outpatient. When I had questions regarding pain and nausea, the answers were always just a phone call away.

I had my last chemo treatment on July 11, 2000. Three months later, on a beautiful October afternoon, I got married. I had asked Dr. Fuller in August if I could have the port removed before my wedding day. Normally they make you keep it in for a year, but Dr. Fuller, knowing how important it was to me, allowed me to have it removed.

I was able to wear my strapless dress without the port visibly sticking out of my body. I walked down the aisle with what looked like a military buzz cut and felt beautiful. We all celebrated on that day. Thanks to Dr. Fuller and the amazing nurses and staff at the Mass General Cancer Center, I was strong and healthy and able to enjoy the day.

About a month later, on a Wednesday night, my husband and I were sitting in our apartment getting ready to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. It was about 8:30 and the phone rang. It was Dr. Fuller calling to say hello and to wish my family and me a happy Thanksgiving. I can’t think of many doctors who take time to do that, and it is something that I will never forget.

Two and a half years ago, my husband Kevin and I adopted a beautiful baby girl. We named her Grace, after my father’s mother who passed away the year before. Her middle name is Fuller.”