In Loving Memory of Myra Sanchez

Written by Margo Wortman (daughter)

June 21, 1956 - May 11, 2007

 

In April 2005, my mother was sent to have an ultrasound to check her kidneys. The doctors thought she had chronic kidney and bladder infections. The technician saw something concerning and had the results immediately sent to her doctor. Her doctor’s office called and asked that she come in to discuss their findings. When she got to the doctors they told her she had a mass on her kidney and that they had to schedule surgery to remove the kidney right away.


Later that month, she had a radical nephrectomy which included her kidney, adrenal gland, a portion of her rib and the surrounding fatty tissue. I remember she told me they thought the tumor wasn’t cancerous to keep me from worrying while I was pregnant with her first grandchild. My mom and dad later admitted that it was indeed cancer. They also told me the research had shown survival rates looked horrible; but that the doctors said her prognosis was good. She was cancer free for awhile when the doctors found mets on her liver and lungs. She then started on a clinical trial with the Memorial Sloan-Kittering Cancer
Center in the summer of 2006.


The doctors had prescribed Suntinib and others I am sure. When she finished her cycle, she developed more mets. This time they grew in her rotator cuff and on her spine. During this time, she had to have a shoulder replacement. When she started to develop problems walking and loosing feelings in her legs, they discovered that the lesion on her spine had grown and that she would be paralyzed from it. In early 2007, she had surgery on her back to try to relieve the pressure and allow her to walk again. Unfortunately, by this time the mets had grown and spread to her brain. At that point, she was told she had 6 months to live.


My mother died, May 11, 2007. I like to think that even though I couldn’t be there physically, that we were spiritually connected. I can remember that morning, when I got the phone call that she had passed. I remember lingering as I got ready for work, not wanting to put on too much make-up. I remember feeling as though I had to wait for something. I remember my brother Daniel’s words “Margo she’s gone. We think she passed sometime this morning between 5am and 6:30am...” My heart sank. I remember feeling anger that she would never get to see her granddaughter grow up like she wanted to. My life changed forever at 8am that day as soon as I got that call, I knew what I had been waiting for that day.


The hardest part of losing her was not being able to call her every day. I constantly found myself picking up the phone to call her only to remember that she was now in a better place - pain free. I realize now that she is not physically here; but she is here in everything else, watching my daughter grow and helping to guide her family in everything that we do. You will always be loved and in our hearts, until we meet again.


Loving daughter,
Margo Wortman