Wanda Ottenbreit
In 1993, Wanda received a call at work from her doctor. She was told
that she needed to make an appointment with a surgeon immediately.
Though she had recently undergone a series of tests to identify the
source of her physical symptoms, she had not yet received the results.
When she asked her doctor why she needed immediate surgery he replied,
"You have colon cancer, how could you not have known?" The brusque
delivery of this news, combined with the fact that she had lost her
husband to cancer several years earlier, left Wanda in shock. Though
she had initial feelings of paralysis and hopelessness, she soon found
herself filled with an overwhelming determination to live. She turned
her focus to her only son, who she had raised on her own since he was
four years old. Though at the time of her diagnosis he was married and
had a family of his own, Wanda\'s bond with her son kept her focused on
survival. In her words, "...she had already lost his father to cancer -
he was not about to lose his mother, too." The strength of Wanda\'s
spirit would continue to be tested, as her cancer returned after two
years of remission. Not surprisingly, she pulled through this second
trial and is now an 11-year survivor. Free from the preoccupations of
cancer, Wanda now focuses her energy on remaining healthy, educating
others about the importance of colonoscopy, and recognizing each day as
a new beginning.
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