Ill Will
by
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Sure enough though Wednesday afternoon brought with it an uncommon anxiety and mounting apprehension. When she pulled up in front of the Breast Care Center that evening she caught herself grinding her teeth and damning Dr. Foley for using such a word as "mass." A few women sat in the reception area. Below those washed out gowns skirts and heels appeared as these appointments were typically grabbed by those who worked outside of their homes. Penney was escorted to the changing area and then joined the ranks in the reception area. There was no conversation and one heard only the pages of magazines being turned. Penney was the last one to be called back.
The technician was upbeat and even made Penney smile a few times as she was asked about her job. The mammogram as always took only a short time and then she was sent to change and wait for the Center to contact her. Wait is the operative word here as Penney waited and waited and waited. For the next couple of days she tossed and turned in her sleep and when she did sleep she saw Hannah ravaged and timid, Harry hovering nearby. Work was the one elixir which could quiet her mind and refocus her attention. Then the call came to say she needed a repeat mammogram with an ultrasound. Now having informed Jack, he was certain it was just precautionary when she told him but Penney was getting increasingly more contemplative. The next appointment was not until the middle of the following week. The waiting game had indeed begun in earnest.
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About the Book
For the last nine years, Penney Divan visited her gynecologist, received an “all’s well” diagnosis, and was told to come back next year. But this year is different for this well-respected and busy high school principal who loves her work and lives an active lifestyle. This year, she learns she has breast cancer.
The diagnosis places her, her family, and her friends on a roller coaster ride of questions, doubts, and emotions. Strong and independent, Penney finds herself facing the formidable throes of guarded diagnoses, treatment protocol dictates, and misguided concern. Her world teetering, Penney must grasp a newfound courage to discover she is her own best resource, supporter, and advocate.
Diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer, Penney looks deep into her spirit to overcome her mounting terror and build a tenacity that can get her through biopsies, surgery, scans, treatment, her work, and her daily life. As she fights to maintain this spirit, those around her often take a surprising step back.
In this first installment of three in the Cancer Chronicles, Penney emerges with a stronger sense than ever of who and what she is all about. Ill Will is geared toward cancer patients and others suffering from serious illness, their caregivers, both professional and nonprofessional, and by anyone who has ever asked, “What should I say and how should I act now that she has cancer?”
About the Author
Anne Hutcheson is a teacher, director of special education, high school administrator, wife, mother, and cancer rights advocate who stresses the power of listening in her life. Currently, Hutcheson lives with four men—her husband and three male cats.