Survivor Story

Two-time Survivor Changes Course

Maggie Gardner thought a marriage on the rocks was a trauma.  Then she found out she had breast cancer.  And after that, well, she survived breast cancer a second time!

Gardner, of Hartford, was 42 the first time she had breast cancer and it didn’t hit her again until five years later.  Now, as she prepares to turn 50, she’s thrilled to be in remission and taking a new path with her life. 

“The first time I found out about my breast cancer, I was in shock,” Gardner said.  “I literally had no reaction.  I separated myself from the disease and pretended that it was someone else’s life. With moral support from friends and a good job, I got back on my feet very quickly.”
Her cancer was ductal carcinoma in situ and only required a partial mastectomy.  The second time she protracted the disease, she underwent a full mastectomy.

“My cancer recurred at a bad time in my life.  I felt as if I’d lost everything.  My husband literally walked out, leaving me to face the challenges of cancer largely alone.  I had lost a dear Hospice patient, my home, and my friends,” Gardner said.  “It was a depressing time. The stress took its toll on my body and my mind. But God bless a wonderful doctor—‘Dr. Christie’-- who recognized the situation for what it was and helped me fight for my life in so many different ways.”

Along her healing path, in June of 2006, Gardner became involved in Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  She volunteered with her former boss at St. Mary’s Home – a woman who was also a cancer survivor.  In 2007, Gardner couldn’t run.  But she positioned herself at the finish line water station.   “I saw so many of the runners and thanked each and every one,” she said.  “It meant so much to the runners.”

 And then an unusual thing happened to Gardner.  When a survivor standing next to her at the survivors’ celebration portion of Komen Race Day, saw she didn’t have a survivor rose, she shared her extra with Gardner.  They exchanged pleasantries and said their names. 

“When we heard our last names, we screamed right out loud and hugged,” Gardner said.  “It turned out that the two of us had been talking to each other on the phone for months and had never met.  Of the thousands of people in the park that day, God put us next to each other.” 

Gardner also experienced another revelation.  By that time, “I also had begun to see all of the wide range of work that Komen for the Cure does,” she said.  “It’s not only about research – although they are the largest breast cancer funder in the world -- but Komen is also about meeting the needs of the community.  Their grants in the community are for organizations helping real people, day in and day out – people who need help to survive.  The word ‘cure’ means a lot more to Susan G. Komen for the Cure than a research lab discovery.  This organization recognizes that we need both!  Without access to assistance, there can never be a cure for all.”  

Growth from the Struggle

Despite her struggles at the time of her recurrence, Gardner was turned away from agencies that she thought might have helped her with cancer medicines and other support.  So, in an attempt to get back on track, she joined a support group.

“I attended a monthly cancer support meeting at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford,” Gardner said,  “where I asked others what could be done for the other half of the survivor whose social world had been turned upside-down.  What could be done with the half person who could no longer smile and laugh, or afford her rent?  Most viewed these as private matters, and they are, but treating the whole person was something I not only believed in, but now was experiencing firsthand.”

During her research, Gardner turned up similar predicaments of cancer survivors.  She cites the 2004 President’s 2004 Cancer Panel Report “Living Beyond Cancer” published by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The report reviewed “the often devastating personal hardships of the cancer experience” and outlined the need for patient “navigation” services. 

The report said, in part, “When surveying the landscape of the health care system, while considering the social, economic, cultural and emotional challenges faced by the person with cancer and their family, the answers are clear.  At a point when patients and their families are facing the challenge of their lives, they must navigate and manage one of the most complex healthcare systems in the world.”

Gardner eventually got enough help to put her back on the track of wellness for her whole person.  The experience gave birth to an organization she calls Gardner’s House, in Hartford. 

“Gardner’s House is a place to look out for the forgotten ones like I once was, who are now on the outside looking in.  As I continue to recover from my experience, I am reaching out to others who are in need, helping them find service to fill the gaps.”  For more information about Gardner’s project, write her at gardnershouse@yahoo.com.

This story was written by Barbara Puffer, a 21-year breast cancer survivor.