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'My life is totally different' Woman has new outlook after battle with ovarian cancer

Tribune-Democrat - 9/17/2017

Sept. 17--Three years ago, Rebecca Marsh of Johnstown was looking for an opportunity to open her own beauty shop.

She checked out a building owned by East Conemaugh Borough and found a fully equipped salon decorated in a teal motif -- right down to the styling chairs.

Marsh knew it was meant to be hers.

The longtime hairstylist was starting a new life after surviving ovarian cancer surgery, and teal is the color used to promote ovarian cancer awareness.

Hairdoos by Becky at 329 Greeve St. in East Conemaugh represents Marsh's new outlook. It was part of a fresh start after working for other hairdressing businesses for more than 20 years.

"My life is totally different," Marsh said at the hair salon.

"After you have cancer, you're a totally different person."

Marsh's story of survival began in 2012 when she went in for her annual checkup with Dr. Anne Marie Sterlin at Conemaugh Physicians Group -- Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"She asked if I was having any issues," Marsh said.

Marsh, then 45, told the doctor she had been having abdominal pain, cramping and a bloating feeling.

"I was full after two or three bites of food," she said.

Although those are among the early signs of ovarian cancer, Marsh said she never thought it was anything serious.

"I just assumed it was early menopause," she said.

Sterlin ordered an transvaginal ultrasound test, which takes images from inside the patient.

The news was not encouraging. Marsh learned she had a large "cyst."

"They said there is a 49 percent chance it was cancer," she recalled.

"When I got home from that appointment, I called my husband," she said. "I cried. I said, 'Now you know it's going to be cancer.'

"He left work and came home and hugged me and said, 'We'll get through this.' "

The experience still felt unreal when she and her husband, Joe, told her son, Tyler Crawford, and stepson, Joey Marsh.

Tyler Crawford was 17 when his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Marsh still cries remembering the thought of leaving him.

"Before I had my surgery, I wrote my son a card," she said, her voice breaking. "I told him: Be good, become something. He is the the best thing that ever happened to me."

Marsh was sent to a gynecologic oncologist in Pittsburgh to have the "cyst" examined.

"I guess they don't call it a tumor until they know it's cancer," Marsh said.

Dr. John T. Comerci, director of gynecologic oncology at UPMC Passavant, said he could not make a positive diagnosis until the growth was removed. He scheduled her for surgery within days.

"They took out a basketball-sized tumor and it was cancer," she said. "It was still Stage 1, thank God."

Testing showed the cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes, so there was a good chance the entire cancer was removed. But there were some cancer cells in her abdomen, so chemotherapy was recommended.

The second blow of bad health news was hard.

"I was devastated," Marsh said. "I just sat there and bawled."

She was reassured when Comerci told her there was a good chance the chemotherapy would leave her cancer free.

But the treatment was brutal, Marsh said, adding that the chemotherapy drug used is among the harshest. To top it off, she had nearly every side effect listed for the drug.

"After every treatment, I was down for a week," she said. "I couldn't get my head off the pillow. I felt like I was run over by a truck a million times."

It seemed that her life had stopped.

"Everybody is living their lives around me, but I can't do anything but cancer," she said.

"It's lonely and it's sad."

She encourages anyone who cares about someone dealing with cancer to take time to visit the patient -- take a meal and keep in touch.

Five years later, Marsh says the treatment was successful. Regular followup exams at Comerci's office showed no signs of cancer.

"By the grace of God everything went well," she said, adding, "I would never want to go through that again."

The experience was life-changing.

She left her former employer and opened Hairdoos by Becky, with many of her regular clients becoming customers at the new business.

"So many good things happened after I had cancer," Marsh said. "Since I've been here, I gained 250 people."

The change reaches beyond her career.

"I'm just blessed. That's all I can say -- to be alive and to have another chance at life.

"You feel like you are starting over. Life means so much more. Every day is a gift."

Although ovarian cancer symptoms are often vague, Marsh encourages women to know the signs and pay attention to their bodies. She believes she had the slow-growing cancer for about two years before diagnosis.

Symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramps, urinary issues and feeling full after eating small amounts of food are often not reported, doctors say.

"If you are having pain or anything you think is wrong, get to the doctor," Marsh said.

"The earlier you catch it, the better your chances.

"They say ovarian cancer is a silent killer -- but it whispers."

Randy Griffith is a multimedia reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5057. Follow him on Twitter @PhotoGriffer57.

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