Group to offer support for women with gynecological cancers

Editor’s note: Dothan resident Martha Bell was interviewed by the Dothan Eagle on Monday, July 27, regarding a new support group for women with gynecological cancers. She died on Wednesday, July 29. The following story includes Bell’s comments made before her death.

Martha Bell was determined.

She knew her illness — extra-ovarian primary peritoneal carcinoma — would eventually take her life. She wouldn’t let it take her spirit, however. Her husband, Dick Bell, died from his own battle with cancer in January, and Martha was dealing with a recurrence of her cancer just months after ending her chemotherapy treatments.

She kept on going. She made plans. She booked a trip to Tuscany. But if anything, she was realistic.

“I’m not going to be a lucky one,” Bell said just a few days before her death.

But before she died, Bell wanted to make sure other women had the information and support they needed to help them face gynecological cancers. She teamed up with three other women who had been diagnosed with a gynecological cancer to start the CanSurvive support group, a branch of the CanSurvive chapter at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham.

The support group’s first meeting is scheduled for Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. in the conference room at Southeast Cancer Center, located at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan. Bell considered the support group’s creation a team effort, but she was the driving force behind it whether she wanted the role or not. Bell died two days after being interviewed by the Dothan Eagle. She was 70.

“She was always very positive,” said daughter Allyson McLean of Birmingham. “I never heard her complain. She was always just very accepting and had faith.”

Her daughters only hope someone will continue the mission their mother became so passionate about in such a short time.

“If others could find out soon enough and do something about it, they might have a longer life than she was able to have,” said Charlotte Milner, Bell’s daughter who lives San Antonio, Texas.

Gynecological cancers include uterine, cervical, ovarian, vaginal and vulvar. Annual pap smears can help detect cervical cancer early, but there are no screening tests for other gynecological cancers. Symptoms are usually so vague that by the time the cancer is diagnosed it has spread to other organs.

Bell’s cancer — extra-ovarian primary peritoneal carcinoma, or EOPPC — actually attacks the peritoneum, the lining of the abdomen, with small tumors that may or may not have a primary tumor in the ovaries. It’s treated as advanced ovarian cancer. Since it occurs outside the ovaries, the cancer can occur even when the ovaries have been removed.

“I knew something was wrong,” Bell said.

There were little things such as nausea and abdominal bloating. It came on so suddenly, Bell saw a doctor. She was diagnosed with EOPPC in September 2008, just six months after husband Dick had been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. She had surgery and began chemotherapy. By January 2009, Bell underwent her last treatment. that same month Dick Bell died. Martha returned to her doctor every two months for testing. In April, things were fine. But by June, the cancer had spread to her stomach.

“I was really believing I was going to be in the 30 percent who survive,” Bell said. “... I felt great.”

The Bells had a support system through their family, but Martha Bell knew that wouldn’t be the case for every cancer patient. She found out about the CanSurvive group through a contact in Birmingham.

“A woman has to be responsible for her own body, and if you don’t know it’s a possibility, you won’t do anything until it’s too late,” Bell said. “I felt safe. I had no cancer on either side of my family.”

Bell hoped to do her part in making sure other women were informed of the physical signs by providing educational materials and offering a support system for those already diagnosed. But she didn’t want a pity party. She wanted the support group to be proactive, disseminating information on the latest research and treatment options. The plan is for the group to meet four times a year every three months.

“Communication will be important — knowing what to look for and getting a little smarter about our bodies,” Bell said.

Both Martha and Dick Bell faced their cancers with a strong front, their daughters said. They didn’t like their situation, but they put their faith in God and saw no need to complain — it didn’t help them, and it wouldn’t help anyone else.

“They were sad, but they just faced it with great bravery and dignity,” McLean said.

Both lived less than a year after their diagnoses.

Dick Bell was president of Bell Frame and Brake Service; Martha a licensed speech and language pathologist who had worked with Dothan City Schools and Wallace Community College before her retirement. They were active in church and community organizations. They were married for 48 years.

Milner and McLean described their mother as organized, goal-oriented, giving and caring. And determined.

They plan to publish a cookbook to help raise money for the CanSurvive support group. They hope to get friends and family to donate both recipes and stories. Their mother, they said, was a great cook who often created her own recipes for dishes. And she loved cookbooks.

“She lived her life with such excellence,” McLean said. “She raised the bar for us.”

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CanSurvive
What: A new support group for women with gynecological cancer.
When: Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 11 a.m.
Where: Conference room in the Southeast Cancer Center at Southeast Alabama Medical Center.
Other: Call 793-8080 for directions to the cancer center.

Know the signs
In their early stages, gynecological cancers may not cause symptoms or may cause symptoms that are very vague. They could be caused by other conditions, but see your doctor if you have concerns about symptoms not normal for you, especially if they last longer than two weeks.

Cervical — Advanced cervical cancer may cause bleeding or discharge from the vagina that is not normal for you, such as bleeding after sex.

Ovarian — Pain in the pelvic or abdominal area; back pain; fatigue; bloating of the area below your stomach; change in bathroom habits, such as having to urinate often; upset stomach or heartburn; vaginal discharge; abnormal vaginal bleeding especially after menopause.

Uterine — Bleeding not normal because of when it happens or how heavy it is — bleeding, even a little bit, after menopause; periods that are longer than seven days; bleeding between periods; or other bleeding that is longer or heavier than normal. Also, pain and pressure in the pelvis.

Vaginal — Most vaginal cancers do not cause early warning signs and symptoms. But they may include bleeding that is unusual for you because of when it happens or how heavy it is as well as pelvic pain when you urinate or have sex.

Vulvar — Many women experience symptoms of vulvar cancer before diagnosis, including itching of the vulva that does not go away (mostly on the labia); skin color changes of the vulva, such as being redder or whiter than normal; skin changes, such as what looks like a rash or warts; or a sore on the vulva that does not go away.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention