Cancer brings out best in people

Thanks.

We can't say it enough.

No amount of words can express our gratitude over the efforts of countless friends and co-workers who have come to our aid since late last month when Joni was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Our lives changed suddenly only days before the end of the year. My wife's stomach swelled up. She looked pregnant.

She went to the emergency room at Southeast Missouri Hospital. We thought she had a bowel obstruction. But the emergency room doctor had other news. Worse news. Joni had cancer.

When you first hear the "C" word, you feel suddenly like a doomed passenger on the Titanic. Even friends are speechless at first.

Cancer forces you to look differently at life. Life's everyday problems seem much smaller.

It forces you to look at what's important in life. And that's love and friendship.

Without it, we would find it hard to cope with our current circumstance.

With it, we feel we can climb mountains.

A skilled surgeon recently performed surgery on Joni, removing much of the cancer. She'll be starting chemotherapy treatments soon.

Joni is optimistic about the outcome and so am I.

Joni didn't feel sick. She still doesn't today. That's a frightening part of this kind of cancer. Joni's pretty good about getting her annual exams, but as it turns out, a pap smear does not detect ovarian cancer. We didn't know that. Maybe you didn't either. The signs are pretty vague, which makes it hard to detect.

Potential symptoms of ovarian cancer include:

* Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort

* Vague, but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea and indigestion

* Unexplored weight gain or loss

* Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling or bloating

* Frequency or urgency of urination in absence of an infection

* Ongoing unusual fatigue

* Unexplained changes in bowel habits

As parents, we're still focused on raising our daughters. Cancer won't stop us from parenting.

But ironically even in the middle of a life-threatening illness, we have truly been blessed.

We have been blessed by the comfort and Christian fellowship of those who have reached out to help us.

Friends and family visited Joni in the hospital and even kept me company in the waiting room on the day of surgery.

They've been there for us every step of the way.

They've given us get-well cards and gifts such as prayer shawls that have cheered us up and brought us peace of mind.

They've brought us food and even surprised us by cleaning our house.

They've made hundreds, maybe even thousands, of tiny teal ribbons that you might see people around town wearing. Maybe you even wondered what it was about. Just like pink is the color people think about for breast cancer, teal is the shade associated with ovarian cancer. That can be tough for guys like me who don't see the world in such subtle shades of the rainbow.

The Girl Scouts are even dedicating their first Walk for Health April 2 along the Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail to Joni. Maybe you will want to join us.

Most of all, our friends have given us hugs of kindness and said countless prayers.

There are always bumps on the road of life. Some, unfortunately, turn out to be boulders.

Friends, family and church make it easier to make the journey. They pick us up when we are down and give us the strength to keep on traveling down the road of life -- filled with twists and turns that we never expected to make.

They allow us to still laugh and love and look forward to another day. So to all of you, we say thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.