Diagnosis & Treatment

CANCER TYPE
Glioblastoma
AGE DIAGNOSED
34
Medical Center
Abbotsford Cancer Centre, BC Canada
Surgeon
Dr. Nav Raj Heran, New Westminster, Canada
Oncologist
Dr. Muhammad Zulfiqar, Abbotsford, Canada
Clinical Trials
Medical Treatment
Chemotherapy
Radiation
Surgery
Details of Treatment
30 radiation treatments, and six months of chemotherapy.
Medication During Treatment
Temodar
Alternative Therapies During Treatment
Therapy (saw a traditional therapist)
Meditation
Exercise
Fasting
WHAT CANCER TAUGHT ME
Cancer showed me with striking clarity that love was what mattered most in life! Love! Love for myself and strengthening loving relationships with my husband, children, family and friends. It seems so simple, yet it took coming face to face with death to gain this fresh perspective which is revolutionizing my life!
Supplements
Vitamin D
WHAt helped me during treatment
Favorite Quote
"You must never lose faith that you will prevail in the end - which you can never afford to lose - with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be." James Stockdale
Advice for Others
Firstly, pause and breathe. Let your breath remind you that you are still alive! Secondly, a couple months into my journey my friend who is a clinical counsellor recommended I ask myself: "what will you regret the least?" Everything felt crisis level important. "What will you regret the least?" helped me figure out and triage what was the most important to me and work towards accomplishing what mattered most to me.

My Story

Living like I’m cured

Days before my Glioblastoma diagnosis I was a fun-loving mom of 3 young children: a 4 year old daughter and 11 month old boy-girl twins. I loved to be active, explore, and squeeze the most out of life alongside my loving husband of 14 years, Ryan. I was upbeat, optimistic, faith-filled, high-energy and thriving in my career as a Pharmacist. So when the doctor told me I had one year to live I went numb with shock. How can that be? I thought, "I’m a healthy 34 year old!" The numbness gave way to grief and middle of the night sobs on my husband’s shoulder, “my kids, my kids, who’s going to look after my kids when I die?”

After my crainiotomy and completing my chemotherapy and radiation treatments, grief morphed into terror that the brain tumor would begin growing again soon. This was no way to live. In fact, it hardly felt like living at all. So, at that point I decided to begin living like I was cured. My life wasn’t over yet! And I needed to watch my kids grow up!

Here I am six years later. I’m a miracle. I’m a force of volition, grit and determination, I am lucky and privileged and loved. All these things have brought me to this place of health - some I can take credit for, some I cannot. While I don’t fully understand why the universe has placed the gift of life into my hands, I take it with gratitude and hold it as a beacon of hope for others, but also as a handshake of compassionate understanding. I’ve been there taking the broken pieces of my life and making them into something beautiful. It is possible! Never lose hope.

For more information about my treatment/lifestyle and to read my blogposts check out my website www.cherylrostek.com You can also follow me on Instagram @cherylrostek and on Facebook @authorcherylrostek xo Cheryl

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