Waiting and watching
As rapidly as researchers are pressing forward, ovarian cancer patients today live with much uncertainty. The disease challenges them to focus on the present and remain hopeful, even though the odds may be daunting. There's no better role model than Clare Matthews. "I'm forging ahead with life," she says. "I have come to look at my ovarian cancer as a chronic illness that recurs periodically and then is beaten back."
"We're catching the recurrences early, and as long as there are treatments, I can live with this," she declares. "Fortunately, the Women's Cancers Program has an array of clinical trials that offer other options should the standard treatments fail."
Matthews adds that Dana-Farber means much more to her than a center of medical excellence. "I have had the same nurse, Cherilyn Manzi, RN, BSN, for all my infusions, and that consistency—as well as that of my doctors, Dr. Matulonis and Dr. Berkowitz— makes all the difference. We've developed a rapport, and approach my cancer as a team." And, even though returning to DFCI to be checked for recurrences causes her some anxiety, she says, "Dana-Farber is an unbelievably calming place for me."
