Introducing the Players

Since I always enjoy having a face to go with a name, I thought I'd provide a picture of the folks who have expended a large amount of time and energy trying to keep me around this past year.  

The gentleman in the first photo is my oncologist, Dr. Lawrence Flaherty. 

In this next picture, my brain surgeon, Dr. Mittal is standing to the right of me.

 The woman pictured on the left is his PA Karen Nichols - a woman very integral to both him and me.  

This way you will still recognize all of them (even if you don't recall their names) when you see them depicted in an article sometime in the future when they are interviewed about Peggy Tomaszewski Studzinski - this woman from Detroit who managed to outlive all typical time frames for people with stage 4 brain cancer.

Ah yes, notice the maiden name.  I didn't just gain the stubborn Polish attitude via thirty some years of marriage.  I possessed it before hand at a full 100 percent.   My mother was a Kosinki,  Her mother was an Ostrowski.  My father's mother was a Surbinski.  Shall I go on?

Final tidbit:  My radiation team - Peter and Claudia were also Polish.  This fact was quickly established when they pronounced my last name as "stew-jean-ski" when they called me back for treatment.on the first day of my whole brain radiation.

Anyway,  I am unsure whether the Polish heritage is a factor or not.  I'll leave that to the writer of the research article for crazy long cancer survivors to speculate over.  Whose to say why three to six months has become a year? 


I'm going with my new word to self-describe:  It's because I'm pertinacious.  FYI: It is defined as dogged - persistent - obstinate - tenacious.  Hhhmm, sounds like a stubborn Polish woman to me,  but one with a load of prayers backing her up.  Thank you for those.     

Beyond Explanation

When Karmanos called to confirm an appointment I had in May, they were surprised to hear I was actually coming in for it. Note: I was too ill to even attend the previous appointment.  Keith and Melissa went downtown without me to discuss my status.  The general consensus was that I had about 10 days left based on how poorly I was doing at the time (unable to walk independently, feed myself, remain alert, etc).

The current appointment quite frankly, was scheduled merely as a “courtesy” since it was not anticipated that I would even be present for it.  After learning that I not only intended on coming downtown, but that I had in fact regained most of my ability to function again, my neurosurgeon, Dr. Mittal, and my oncologist, Dr. Flaherty scheduled a MRI and body scans.

They were astonished to see the results.  The MRI showed significant changes in my latest brain tumor.  Previously measuring 5.1 cm x 4.1 cm, my seventh tumor now measured only 3.4 cm by 3.7 cm.  On top of that, the other issues (new cancer outside a cyst that was surrounding the newest brain tumor and the related swelling), were dissipating.

What is the possible explanation for such an amazing turnaround?  The answer is that we are not even going to attempt to understand the ‘almost impossible’ at this point.

I have a plaque my sister-in-law Monica gave me that says, “The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.”  So Team Studzinski is happy to simply continue to believe in miracles.

I have been supplied with another month’s worth of the chemo drug (which appears to have bought me some additional unexpected time now that the whole brain radiation appears to have kicked in and provided a reprieve ).  I expect to show up at the next appointment to demonstrate we can KMA for a little while longer.

So for those of you who were thinking about having to remove me from your Christmas card list this year, THINK AGAIN.

Update Coming Soon - PROMISE!

Sorry for the delay in any blog postings for a while.  I was going to claim that I was experiencing some "technical difficulties" as a defense  - but I can not fib.  Quite frankly, the truth is that I am following my own credo of living in the moment and have been enjoying  a steady round of visits with friends and family.  I hope everyone has done the same and spent the holiday with all their loved ones.