Fade to Gray: Killing the Monster
This is the story about a brave woman. She lives in a kingdom that is full of love, hope and friendship but there’s one thing she and all the others watch out for and worry about. It is a monster who stalks the land, often hiding in plain sight, waiting for just the right moment to pounce. Sometimes he kills the people he finds, sometimes they fight back and survive the encounter. One thing is certain, if you come face to face with this monster it changes you and leaves its mark. It may sound strange to say but sometimes, even though it tries desperately to hurt you, you leave the exchange the better for it. Surviving a tussle with this beast almost always makes food taste better, grass look greener, life more fulfilling. The land I describe and the woman I speak of are not fiction, they exist right here in our Capital Region. And the monster? The monster is cancer.
I met Jeanne Walsh at a busy Starbucks on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon. For someone who nearly spent 2018 in the cemetery, underground, she was quite chipper recommending I try a scone or some other delectable delight. Instead I feasted on a story fit for a Hollywood screenplay.
Jeanne went to work for the American Cancer Society 28 years ago. Over those years she worked her way up holding nine different positions along the way. “I had many job titles but my main function was spreading hope and saving lives”, she told me. After 28 years and just when she was thinking about retirement Jeanne noticed a pain in her neck. Like any of us she assumed she slept wrong the night before or pulled it doing exercise. When the pain got worse she saw a doctor and very soon after she got the news that would drop an NFL linebacker to his knees. She didn’t just have cancer, she had a very rare chordoma that had been growing inside of her for decades. Making matters worse was its location; right at the base of her skull where the back of the neck begins. To get at it would require cutting her not just in the back but literally across her throat.
To kill the cancer and remove it meant stopping her life and moving to Boston. Suddenly the woman who helped run the American Cancer Society was on the inside looking out at the world with different eyes. “I was kind of like undercover boss in a way”, she told me. She took up residence at a place called “Hope Lodge” where she joined other cancer patients and prayed the treatments worked. Because of the location of Jeanne’s cancer she had to lie in a special device with a protective mask covering her face. She showed me pictures and it looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. The idea was to zap the cancer and not destroy her face or brain.
Lying on that table they’d let her listen to music and it was always Bruno Mars who kept her company. I imagine she can’t hear one of his songs on the radio today without going back to Boston and that awful treatment. But it wasn’t all bad. Jeanne told me she made some amazing friends at Hope Lodge, a place run by the cancer society that offers lodging and meals free of charge. At one point her brother wanted to do something nice for her and the others so he rented a boat and took them all out of the lodge and away from the cancer treatments for special ride around Boston Harbor. “I felt like Princess Diana that day”, she added with a smile.
Jeanne Walsh is now cancer free but doctors told her there’s a good chance it may return. Knowing the monster still lurks in the shadows doesn’t keep her from embracing life and celebrating her victory. In fact on April 28th, she’ll be presented with the “Beacon of Hope” award at the American Cancer Society’s Gala of Hope in Saratoga. I’m the MC so I’ll get to see Jeanne honored before a sold out crowd to a standing ovation. She’s excited. “It’s like going to your own funeral without being dead”, she said laughing. That’s typical Jeanne making a dark joke in the face of the monster she chased away with grit and gumption.
When the Gala of Hope sold all the tickets available to the dinner they added an after party under the stars outside the Hall of Springs. My friend Garland and his band will be singing and Jeanne will no doubt be dancing. If you have an interest in tickets to that or if you’ve ever thought about volunteering with the American Cancer Society just visit www.acscapitalregionevents. com
There’s a Bruno Mars song called “Count On Me” and the lyrics are these- “If you ever find yourself stuck in the sea I’ll sail the world to find you. If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and can’t see, I’ll be the light to guide you.” I think he was talking about Jeanne Walsh.