Written by Upper School Dean, Aaron Hill, this article appeared in the Oct. '02 Navigator
How
Did You Spend Your Summer?
Profile: Stacy Philips
“Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin’ town!” is where Stacy Philips started last summer’s journeys. Stacy attended a session of the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) on Medicine. She was able to visit several cadaver labs, learn various medical procedures, meet prominent professionals in the medical field, and experience firsthand what it’s like to be a physician. Stacy’s participation in the program gave her a jump-start in figuring out if a career in medicine is, in fact, a career in which she wishes to pursue.
Students are nominated to participate in the NYLF programs based on academic achievement and an interest in medicine, law, or national defense. “Students had the chance to see a terminally ill patient within the last hours of life, talk with an AIDS patient one-on-one, visit a newborn and learn how to treat a two-year-old with a rare bone infection,” according to a NYLF press release. “Students learned the future of primary care, and they asked some really good questions about medical ethics. These forums are terrific opportunities for young leaders interested not only in medicine, but in all aspects of the health-care profession.” Stacy reflected on her experience this way: “I appreciate being nominated to attend this forum. It has definitely been an experience to remember. I am ready to share my stories on this fantastic opportunity.”
“I am much more prepared for the road ahead.” |
Stacy also serves as the Key Club Lieutenant Governor of Division 13 for the state of Virginia. One of 27 Lieutenant Governors across the Capitol District (VA, MD, DE, and Washington, DC), Stacy’s area covers seven high schools in the Hampton Roads area: Hampton Roads Academy, Peninsula Catholic, Bethel, Hampton, Kecoughtan, Phoebus, and Warwick High Schools.
As Lieutenant
Governor, Stacy is responsible for each club and attends a meeting each month
at a different club. She files a monthly
report of each clubs progress and upcoming plans each month to the District
Governor, District Administrator, and Zone Administrator. In addition to organizing inter-club activities,
Stacy offers ideas for projects and fundraisers, and sends out a periodic
newsletter to each club. “I am really
excited about holding this office and helping to make a difference in our
division,” offered Stacy when asked about her assignment. “I want to raise more money, raise membership,
and improve HRA’s own Key Club.” Stacy
has done just that. The HRA Key Club
membership has grown to a bulging (?) this year.
Stacy admits
that her viewpoint on life has changed by these experiences, but more so by
her battle with cancer. Stacy struggles
with a rare type of cancer: thymoma.
The thymus gland helps fight childhood diseases, is useless after the
age of about 15, and disappears in the body in the early 20’s.
For about six or seven years the gland usually remains futile in the
body and vanishes. Not for Stacy. A tumor began growing off her thymus gland
and into the area between the gland and the lung. The tumor grew to a size equal to ¾ of her lung, preventing her
use of her right arm.
Everything began
last October, when Stacy thought she had a tennis injury. Her arm began to hurt. The pain became more frequent, often keeping
her awake at night. In January, Stacy
and her family went to see a doctor, only to discover a more complex problem.
X-rays led to CT scans, and CT scans led to a (fine needle aspiration)
lung biopsy.
"I have never been so scared in my life. I had no idea if I had two weeks to live or if the cancer was simply benign." |
The test results were sent to doctors across the country trying to determine the type of cancer surrounding Stacy’s lung. An un-assuring 3-2 vote for lymphoma resulted in a second opinion from the specialty hospital, MD Anderson, in Houston, Texas.
Stacy spent two
weeks in Houston meeting with new doctors and taking more tests. The doctors confirmed thymoma, no doubt about
it. Stacy met with the doctors a few
more times to determine a chemotherapy regime and discuss coming back for
surgery to remove the cancer once it had shrunken substantially. The doctors reported that they had an 80% success
rate of curing thymoma patients and keeping them cured.
Stacy returned
to Virginia with high hopes of “getting rid of this big, nasty sucker.”
She began treatments with a local oncologist, the first during winter
break 2002. This was followed by three more treatments, each for three full
days exactly three weeks apart. The
treatments lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stacy
would sit passively, with a needle in her arm, while the medicine crawled
through the bloodline into her body. At
the end of each treatment, when she was free to go, she went straight home.
She would crawl straight into bed and sleep, usually too tired and
nauseated to do much else.
The doctors told me we were going to, "Get in there and beat this thing and get it out of there! |
Because
Stacy is so young and healthy, her chemotherapy regimen was very strong and
aggressive. She received a combination
of chemotherapy drugs called CAP. CAP
consists of Citoxin, Adreamyecin, and Cisplatin. Adreamyecin is the strongest of the three drugs and could have caused
the loss of Stacy’s arm, if the medicine escaped from her veins and into the
rest of her limb. Citoxin is a drug
that causes severe dehydration and sinus headaches. Stacy was also prescribed the pills Zofran and Phenergan during
the weeks of treatment to help with nausea.
Stacy describes
her treatments this way: “The office I go to for treatments is very convenient.
There are large, comfortable recliner chairs and a couple beds that
all of the chemo patients can relax in and wait for the medicine to be distributed
into their bodies. There are also
snacks and drinks available while you wait.
The nurses at the office also help to make chemotherapy go as smooth
as possible. I have grown to love four of my nurses: Cindy, Jean, Pam, and Yolanda. Every time I have an appointment or go to chemo,
I am always greeted with a smile and a hug from each of them.”
“I never realized how much a small card or note to say you care mean to someone. I never realized how strong the power of prayer is. I never realized how so many people care and reach out to you when you need support.” |
The
support from all of my friends and family has been amazing, too.
No matter when my treatment takes place, my friends have never failed
to come visit me. They will bring
lunch, flowers, or a simple smile. It
has meant the world to me to have them there for support. I never realized how lucky I am to have such wonderful people in
my life. My step dad’s office staff
and family friends have also been great to cook for the family, send cards,
or shower me with gifts.”
“My family has
been amazing as well, especially my mom.
I cannot express how much she has done for me, staying with me every
step of the way. She has caught the
brunt of my anger, the outbursts of my tears, and the clenching of my pain. My mom has been my best friend through all
of this, and we are as close as ever. The
staff at school has been supportive, too. The concerns mean so much to me, as do the reminders that I am an
inspiration to them. It helps me to
fight this tumor hard. I have appreciated
my teachers’ help with deadlines and workloads as well. I thank God that I am blessed with the special
people in my life.”
“My tennis coach, Ray Smith, has been a great inspiration to me. He has coached and played tennis with me, and kept in touch with me and supported me throughout all of this.” |
“I never knew
cancer could bring about such a positive change in my life.
I have been looking for and have found, several ways in which it has
made each day better. I also have
found the ways it has put a damper on my life, but have made an attempt not
to dwell on them. Certainly, I could
make a list of ways cancer has inhibited me over the past couple months, but
why bother? Why not look upon the
glass as half full rather than half empty?”
Update:
In an aggressive
attempt to treat her condition, Stacy was prescribed the Octreotide shots
over a two-month period. She returned
to Houston to discover the tumor was 95% gone. The surgery was scheduled for two weeks later,
the waiting period necessary to excrete the steroids from her body. Stacy returned to Houston in the beginning
of July, prepared for the operation, only to find that the tumor had regressed.
In lieu
of surgery, her doctors prescribed the drug Taxol, a one-day chemotherapy
regimen. The doctors predicted a 33% chance that the
drug would complete the desired response from the tumor. Unfortunately, the tumor did not respond.
In mid-August, Stacy returned again to Houston to receive a high dose
of Ifosfamide, another chemotherapy drug.
Five consecutive days of IV treatment would ensue, including the first
week of school.
“I just hope and pray that this drug is the one! I have a good feeling about it, so we’ll just have to wait and see." |
Stacy went in for diagnosis
and treatment on Sunday, September 22, 2002.
Her hope is that the tumor has shrunk to an operable size so that it
all may be removed. Stacy’s motivation
and positive attitude is one for all to emulate.
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