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“The path need not be dark.”
Those are the powerful opening words of DF/BWCC patient Karen Lee Sobol’s memoir about overcoming a rare, incurable form of blood cancer called Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia.
Sobol, who wrote about her experience as a cancer patient in “Twelve Weeks: An Artist’s Story of Cancer, Healing and Hope,” spoke to clinicians and patients in BWH’s Kessler Library April 24 about her diagnosis, treatment and eventual recovery.
“After I was diagnosed, I thought of something my friend once said: ‘When you’re drowning in quick sand, reach for a different branch,’” Sobol said.
That “branch” was extended to her from Steven Treon, MD, PhD, director of the Bing Center for Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia at Dana-Farber, in the form of a clinical trial. Sobol turned down traditional chemotherapy in favor of the trial, which involved 12 weeks of an aggressive, experimental biology-based drug with the potential to cure her disease. Though scared, she found warmth and comfort in Treon, who treated her first and foremost as a human being.
“Karen Lee’s book is a powerful reminder of how clinical trials are helping us pave the road to curability in diseases like Waldenstrom’s that were once thought of as incurable,” Treon said.
While she was participating in the clinical trial, Sobol, who is a painter, print-maker and sculptor, turned to holistic healing practices. “I would use singing bowls to play songs that lifted my attitude and helped kill my cancer,” she said. “I also took part in Reiki.”
What motivated Sobol to keep going was her belief that there was a cure for her disease. “I kept telling myself this equation, Hope = Belief + Expectation,” she said. “I completely believed and totally expected that I would get better.”
Today, Sobol is in a complete remission and credits the clinical trial and her exceptional DF/BWCC care team, including Treon. Her story sheds light on the power of hope for patients and also sends an important message to care providers. “This book is an inspiration to many – it allows patients to connect with what someone is feeling during cancer,” Treon said. “It also allows physicians to see what patients take away from patient-doctor communication.”
For more information about BWH Kessler Library events, contact Laura Zanini at 617-732-8103 or KesslerLibrary@partners.org