Fay Polson

Tulsa, OK

Liver Cancer Survivor

Ready for retirement in 1996 from my work with a radio ministry in Tulsa, I was feeling increasing pressure in my abdomen. When my liver became enlarged, my physician ordered a CT scan. The scan and a subsequent biopsy revealed a large tumor, which had grown into the liver, causing a rupture. They told me I only had a few months to live unless the cancer was controlled.

A local oncologist suggested direct chemo to the liver to shrink the tumor, but followed that up by saying he thought I only had a 50/50 chance for success. This was devastating news.

My son-in-law had received treatment for prostate cancer at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), and he and my daughter had been very pleased with the care. They suggested I go to CTCA for a second opinion. I agreed.

From the day I walked into CTCA, I knew this was where I wanted to be. Everyone was so friendly and warm. And we didn’t have to sit in the waiting room for hours.

The surgical oncologist I saw told me he wanted to remove the tumor, explaining that if he could save just a quarter of the liver during the surgery, I could live, as the liver regenerates itself.

If you could only know what a blessing he gave me with those words. Until this point, I thought I was going to be dying in three months, leaving my family, small grandchildren and all my wonderful friends. Words can’t explain the feeling. I had just been granted some more years.

Following surgery and the removal of three-and-a-half-pound tumor, I underwent both chemo and radiation. Exactly one year later, in 1998, and again in 2000, tumors appeared on my liver and had to be surgically removed.

I just can’t explain how well I did with the help of the doctors and staff at CTCA. When I was in the hospital having surgery, one of the wonderful things is that my husband could stay with me, every night, even in ICU. And, with chemo and radiation, it wasn’t a chore for me to come out to CTCA every day for treatment. There were so many wonderful people to talk and visit with, especially two men. They were so much fun, and everyone wanted to be in the room they were in. We did a lot of laughing every day. If I hadn’t come to CTCA, I know I wouldn’t be alive today, but thanks to their outstanding care, I’ve been cancer free for six years now.

I believe God has used my battle with cancer to grow my faith. When you know you really need to be dependent on God, when you’re really sick and don’t know if you’ll live, you hold fast to God and His Word. I’m more grateful than ever for the extra 10 years of life I’ve been given, and I think I’ve learned many lessons. One of those is keeping a positive attitude. Another important thing to remember is that, even if you can’t see Him, the Lord is working. He knows best what you need, and He’s at work.

Just recently, I received a church bulletin from one of our friends. They have been in a church building project for the last year. On the back of the bulletin was this message, “If you will review your past, you will see where and how God has brought you to where you are today. Think again of the miracles God has performed and then you can say, Hitherto has the Lord helped us.” But I will say, “Hitherto has the Lord helped me.”

I also believe my cancer is a blessing. For one thing, it’s grown my family from four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to hundreds of people from around the United States.

My cancer has given me an open door to talk to others, and hopefully, to bless them. I think my husband Bob and I have been at CTCA almost every week of the world for the past 10 years, whether we were getting treatment or not.

I love my “adopted family members,” like the lovely couple from Minnesota who can’t grow azaleas up north. Bob and I took them to the azalea festival in Muskogee, and they loved it. And there’s a 41-year-old mother of four with liver cancer who didn’t want to go through chemo. Patient Relations asked me to talk to her, and I was able to tell her about my own battle with liver cancer. She decided to undergo chemo, and now her cancer count is decreasing and she’s on the mend. We go to dinner with some many of the people we’ve met at CTCA over the years. We love to visit them when they fly in for treatment at CTCA. Each one of them is so unique.