Rachel Rump survived cervical cancer | menopause | osteoperosis | ureters | internal radiation

DESCRIPTION

On today’s segment of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Rachel Rump tells host Bruce Morton how she overcame a lot to survive cervical cancer.  A blend of external radiation, internal radiation and chemotherapy enabled Rachel to achieve survivorship.  However, survivorship has come at a price.  She tires easily, her hair has thinned, and she found herself going through menopause at age 32.  Rachel also acknowledges that she is still around to raise her young son, which she considers a blessing.

For Rachel Rump of South Bend, Indiana, her cancer journey began on March 28, 2021.  That’s when she noticed pain tied to irregularities with her menstrual cycle.  Her physician sent Rachel to a gynecologist.  During an exam, she saw him make a face and that’s when her heart sank.  The exam revealed a four-centimeter tumor.  The gynecologist sent Rachel to an oncologist, and that point she knew a cancer diagnosis imminent.

It was decided Rachel would under go 30 sessions of daily external radiation sessions, six weeks of chemotherapy, followed by three internal radiations sessions.  As if this wasn’t tough enough, her regimen took place while there were numerous COVID-related implications.  There were mask requirements and space requirements, which prevented anyone from being with Rachel when she was undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

At this difficult time, Rachel was dealing with other issues having nothing to do.  Her car’s transmission gave out, her dog died and a pipe that ran under her kitchen and bathroom burst.  Meanwhile, Rachel was undergoing treatment for cervical cancer.

She suffered a lot of the things people experience when on chemotherapy.  She lost a lot of hair, didn’t eat much, was on anti-nausea medicine that she had to take and keep track of.  There was also a great deal of fatigue.  Rachel had cognitive problems and said one good thing about COVID was that she worked from home, which reduced the number of times in which the cognitive issues were noticed by others. 

Eventually, her health changed for the better.  Her radiologist said the tumor continued to shrink.  Assessing her health as approximately 70 percent of what it was before her diagnosis, She had continued problems with her kidney.  Rachel had two ureters, or tubes, coming out of her kidney, and they started to shrink, causing a fluid backup, which could have caused kidney disease.  She had to go through a lot of treatments to get the problem under control.  Rachel also says her bones are sowing signs of osteoperosis, which is common with menopause.

That said, when Rachel contemplates an upcoming task she won’t say she "has” to perform, but that she “gets” to perform it, because she is still alive.

Additional Resources:

Support Group: Cervivor, Inc.

https://www.cervivor.org

TRANSCRIPT

Bruce Morton: Greetings, this is the @CancerInterviews podcast.  I’m your host, Bruce Morton.  For anyone on a cancer journey, resilience is key.  On the heels of her diagnosis of cervical cancer, our guest was hit with two events, both of them stressors.  But she fought back with a can-do spirit that should inspire anyone, cancer journey or no cancer journey.  She is Rachel Rump of South Bend, Indiana, and this is her story.  So, here she is, and Rachel, welcome to Cancer Interviews.

Rachel Rump: Thank you, Bruce, I am very excited to be here.

BM: Rachel, we know you have a life exclusive of a cancer journey.  So, let’s start out by finding out a bit more about you.  Tell us about where you are from, what you do for work, and what you like to do when it is time for fun.

RR: I am from South Bend, Indiana, which is right about at the tip of the Michigan border, which does affect a bit in our rivalry with the University of Michigan, as I am an employee at the University of Notre Dame, where I am the Employment Engagement Experience specialist.  I get to have a lot of fun with people every day, which is so awesome.  I am also the mother of one adorable four-year-old, so I am very excited that he is growing and learning.  When I am hanging out with him, I usually have my nose in a book.  I have read so many books just this year already, as of July 2023, I have already read 15 books.  I love to read, I love to try to write, it is one of my creative outlets for me.

BM: Rachel, all of us who have survived cancer experienced that time, that date when something didn’t quite right, something that triggered a chain of events culminating with a cancer diagnosis.  For you, how did that go?

RR: I know the exact date.  It was March 28, 2021.  I remember that date very clearly because that was the date that I was supposed to start my menstrual cycle.  I noticed that throughout that day something wasn’t quite right.  I was hurting.  It was different from any other cycle I had ever had.  I was in pain, and as the days kept going, I kept having cycles for about a month and when the bleeding continued, I concluded this is not normal and I needed to be seen by a doctor.

BM: And what happened when you were seen?

RR: So, I went to see my primary caregiver and explained the situation to her, and we thought maybe it was an abnormal menstrual cycle.  I was given some pills to help stop the bleeding and get me back on track.  So, I took ‘em, the whole prescription and nothing happened.  She prescribed them to me a second time, and a second time, nothing happened.  That’s when I concluded I needed to see a gynecologist because this is getting silly.

BM: And what happened when you went to the gynecologist?

RR: I had just had my kid, so it was just about two years since I had seen a doctor in that sense and at that time when I was pregnant with all my pregnancy checks, no said anything was wrong, that I was fine and there was no need for any type of checks, so I eventually concluded it had been about five years since I had seen any kind of gynecologist.  I had also relocated and was in the process of switching doctors, so I hadn’t found a gyno, so that was something I kept putting off.  I eventually found a gyno.  All of a sudden, during an exam, I remember very clearly, he just had this face, so that’s when my heart just sank.  I just kinda knew.

BM: You mentioned that your heart sank, but is there anything your doctor said that gave you even a sliver of optimism, or were you just left hanging with that bad news?

RR: I was kind of left hanging with it in the sense that I had a four-centimeter tumor that was visible during the exam itself, so my gyno pretty much knew right away I had cancer, but sent me to an oncologist to double check, but it was pretty obvious what potentially it was.

BM: We’re confident you will be able to learn some tips and tools to help you through your personal cancer journey, but first we’d like to invite you to give us a ‘like,’ leave a comment or a review below and share this story with your friends.  Kindly click on the Subscribe button below and click on the bell icon, so you will be notified anytime we release a new interview.  And if you or a loved one are facing a cancer diagnosis, please click on the link in the description and Show Notes below to check out our free guide, “The Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before I Got Cancer.”

Rachel, you had just gotten this horrific news and you had a mammoth challenge ahead of you.  In terms of treatment, did you have any options, or was there was just one way to go?

RR: It started out in a rocky way in that my gynecologist was trying to find an oncologist that he trusted.  He originally sent me down to Indianapolis, which is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from South Bend.  I did go down there, we talked, and that’s when I got the confirmation that this is cervical cancer. Then I wanted to know if I had to make that long drive every time I needed to be seen or was there someplace local that could be an option, and that ended up being the case.  We did find a center my gynecologist did recommend that was local and we discussed treatment options, which weren’t a lot, actually.

BM: So, in the end, what did treatment consist of?

RR: In the end it was decided I would have daily radiation, about 30 sessions, six weeks of chemotherapy and then three internal radiation segments as well.

BM: And what was the toughest part of that?

RR: The toughest parts out of everything were the many COVID implications.  There were still mask requirements, there were still spacing requirements, and so the entire time I couldn’t have anybody in the suite with me for any of the chemo treatments.  Obviously, during radiation, nobody could be in the room with you.  Same with the internal radiation, so for the most part, I was left alone.  That was really, really hard.  I was being poked and stuck every day, so it was just a lot.

BM: At this point we would be remiss if we didn’t mention there were other things going on in your life at that time.  I am guessing 2021 was the most tumultuous year of your life and I hope it remains that way because I don’t want any year in the future to be crazier than 2021, but tell us other things life sent your way that year.

RR: So, 2021 was the year I turned 30.  On my birthday in January, my car’s transmission gave out in the middle of the road.  So, I am trying to push my car, it was my birthday, I was starting to cry.  Then in May I got my cancer diagnosis.  In June, just a couple weeks later, I was hosting a birthday party for my son at my house and then a pipe burst in between two of my walls, so it went under my bathroom and under my kitchen.  Flooded everything.  So, I had to have people come in and deconstruct my entire kitchen, my entire bathroom.  Then behind the walls they found black mold everywhere.  I started treatment in July 2021, and two weeks later, my beloved dog that I had had since I was in college, she passed away after her own bout with cancer, so that was extremely hard because that was my soul dog.  I had to grieve through that while going through all of my cancer treatments.  It was so difficult.

BM: I am guessing that friends might have been at your side, although that was compromised during COVID, but in terms of the cancer piece of all this, there is a national support group that helps people that have been diagnosed with cervical cancer and the name of the group is Cervivor.  To what extent did Cervivor step into the mix and perhaps be of help?

RR: I found Cervivor when I was searching through cancer support groups and everything.  I knew people who had had other types of cancer, but nobody had had cervical cancer, so nobody I knew, knew what I was going through.  So, after searching and searching I happened to come across Cervivor and immediately clicked that Follow button.  Then I saw people on Facebook, people reaching out and reached out on my own and I got so much support.  It was so nice to hear someone say, “I’ve had that, too.  This is what happened to me.”  It was so different to have someone say that they understood.

BM: I understand that Cervivor seeks to help those who have been diagnosed with cervical cancer; but I suspect when you interacted with people from Cervivor , the found out about all the other things that were going on with you, your car, your house, your dog.  Taking all those things into consideration, were the people at Cervivor helpful in that way as well?

RR: Yes.  When I put my story out there, again, they were so empathetic.  I had someone say they were going through a divorce when they had their cancer.  It really helped my heart to know that someone else was going through just as much stress in their life other than cancer, so it was amazing to have that support.

BM: I also suspect you have some familiarity with their website because you went to it looking for help.  If one goes to their website, www.cervivor.org, are there other ways the website can be of help to a woman?

RR: Yes.  So, you can share your cancer story.  You can put together a profile detailing the steps in your journey.  That way you can connect with others.  They also have an amazing blog which was something I started connecting with as well.

BM: Meanwhile, you are going through chemo and radiation.  Did you experience some of the things that people often associate with chemo, such as hair loss or food tasting like metal?

RR: I called it ‘hair thinning.’  It wasn’t like I had much to lose, but I was definitely taking clumps out, but at no time did it ever look scarce.  It was nice that I didn’t have to shave my legs.  As far as eating went, I wasn’t hungry very much.  I was on a lot of anti-nausea medicine that I had to take and keep track of.  All kinds of juggling.  I called the pills my little pharmacy that was supposed to keep me from getting sick, even though I did.  Thankfully, chemo didn’t change the taste of food.  I just didn’t want to eat a lot.  I kinda just wanted to lay down.

BM: Were you still working at Notre Dame through all of this?

RR: Thankfully at the time we were working remotely, which I was working from my house, which meant my couch.  My boss was so supportive during my journey and would always check up on me before she asked me to get on a call because she knew I might be sleeping, especially after radiation because that’s when I usually came home and took a nap because I was just wiped out.

BM: The reason why I asked if you were still working is because one of the things that is part and parcel of chemo treatment is that there can be cognitive issues.  How tough was it to continue your job if you had any cognitive issues because of chemo?

RR: It was difficult.  There were times I would miss things.  Sometimes in a meeting I would forget to write something down or I later wouldn’t understand what I had written down.  There were a lot of times one could tell that I had just spaced out.  I was not there.

BM: Now here is one of the more pleasant aspects of our conversation.  There had to have been a point in which you felt things were turning a corner, that you were getting the upper hand on cancer.  How exciting was that?

RR: That was such an empowering moment.  I was with my radiologist who was one of my biggest supporters throughout the journey.  He was always there to let me know what was going on.  During one of my radiation sessions, he told me my tumor is getting demolished.  It is getting smaller.  We are on the right track.  That told me I could make it through.  But my body was getting tired.  Everything was hurting.  My veins were so sore.  They were bruised because of the needles poking.  Physically I was a mess, but I said I have to keep going. 

BM: In terms of the here and now, in the year 2023, if pre-diagnosis, you were 100 percent, these days, how would quantify your health?

RR: I would probably say around 70 percent.  Throughout the treatment, the radiation had its effects on my body.  My radiologist joked that they call radiation ‘the gift that keeps on giving,’ so in 2022 I began having issues with my kidneys because of the ureters that came out of my kidney.  I learned that I have two small tubes that come out of the kidney, instead of one.  They started to shrink, causing a fluid backup in my kidney, expanding it, which could have caused kidney disease.  So, I had to go through a lot of treatments for that and get that under control. 

BM: So, if you are at 70 percent, simple math says there are some things you could do, pre-diagnosis, that you can’t do now.  What are the things that leave you at less than 100 percent?

RR: Because of the route that we took, I wasn’t offered a hysterectomy.  I was told very frankly that all of my eggs would be shot.  That put my body into pre-menopause.  Towards the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, I was going through menopause at age 32.  I had to deal with a lot of that and I was put on hormone treatments to, as they said, “make my life a little better.”  It was really hard to be in an older woman’s body state but still in my 32-year-old body.  I feel a lot older, so I lose energy a lot faster.  I don’t have as much energy as I would like to run around with my kid.  My hair is not as shiny as it probably should be and bones are showing signs of osteoporosis, which is very common in menopause.

BM: But you fought through this, and you approach each day with a mantra that I believe is worth sharing, be they on a cancer journey or not.  So, if you would, share that mantra, how you came about and how you apply it on a daily basis.

RR: I will take any sentence including the words “have to,” and replace them with “get to.”  So, it is no longer, “I have to do the dishes,” but “get to do the dishes.”  It makes you stop and think of the gratitude of actually being able to do that.  I learned this from a public speaker I heard at a conference I attended, and it was eye-opening because in my mind, I changed all these sentences from “I have to”, to “I get to”.  I get to do the dishes because that means I have food, and some people don’t.  I thought that I will get to live and I get to see my son grow up because I beat cancer.  That’s when everything just kind of clicked.  I make that a mental thing anytime, even if it is a mundane task.  It opens your eyes to have that gratitude.

BM: Rachel, thanks so much for sharing your story.  We didn’t have to hear your story, we GOT to hear your story.  Thanks so much for sharing with us.  I am sure it is going to be inspirational for anyone who hears it, and it will be informative as listeners hear about what you went through, so, Rachel, thanks very much for being with us on Cancer Interviews.

RR: Thank you so much, Bruce.

BM: And that will conclude this episode of Cancer Interviews.  As we say at this time, if you or a loved one are on a cancer journey, you are not alone.  There are lots of people like Rachel and organizations like Cervivor, that are ready and willing to help.  So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.

Additional Resources:

Support Group: Cervivor, Inc.

www.cervivor.org

SHOW NOTES

TITLE:  Rachel Rump, Cervical Cancer Survivor – South Bend, Indiana, USA

Not long after Rachel Rump was diagnosed with Stage II Cervical Cancer, her home was severely damaged by a burst pipe, and her dog died, all while raising a toddler as a single mom.  But she was able to stare down the stress from all of the above and achieved survivorship.  She shares her extremely inspirational story with the @CancerInterviews podcast.

Additional Resources:

Cervivor, Inc.: www.cervivor.org

Time Stamps:

02:45 When Rachel first noticed something wrong.

04:33 Felt the need to be seen by a gynecologist.

06:30 Said the gynecologist could tell right away Rachel had cervical cancer.

08:48 Describes the treatment regimen.

16:16 Rachel names the toughest part of her undergoing chemotherapy.

17:26 She continued to work remotely while undergoing radiation treatment and chemo.

19:04 Describes the excitement of learning she was moving toward survivorship.

20:27 Rachel is asked how close she is to her pre-diagnosis health.

22:10 Says treatment resulted in her going into menopause at age 32.

23:35 Shares the very positive mantra she applies to her everyday life.

KEYWORDS (tags):

cancer

external radiation

cervical cancer

cancer interviews

chemotherapy

cancerinterviews.com

internal radiation

bruce morton

hysterectomy

rachel rump

menopause

osteoporosis

ureters