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Seeking smoother waters

Families facing cancer aim to steady their course
By Christine Cleary

A Photograph of patient Isabelle Dodd (far right) and family Oliver, Michael, and Denyse (left to right).

Oliver, Michael, and Denyse Dodd (left to right) stayed afloat as a family throughout Isabelle's (far right) cancer experience.

Michael and Denyse Dodd recall the exact place and time they learned that their 19-month-old daughter, Isabelle, had a malignant tumor growing from her spine and rapidly filling her abdomen. "We had to leave our Cape Cod vacation to take Isabelle to Children's Hospital [Boston] so she could be tested for a urinary tract infection," says Michael Dodd. "We hoped to return to the Cape by midday to go sailing. Never again will I take an afternoon of sailing, or the health of my children, for granted."

For Stephen Brennan, 50, a cancer diagnosis was less shocking, because he had enlarged lymph nodes and night sweats — symptoms of lymphoma. Still, having guided his wife and several of his friends through bouts with cancer, Brennan says, "Now I have to practice what I preached and find out what I'm made of."

Families who receive a cancer diagnosis are like passengers on a sailboat when a storm comes along. The boat can remain on course, even in choppy waters, when its passengers are balanced and someone knowledgeable is navigating. "Most families need help to keep their equilibrium at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and afterwards," says Dana-Farber social worker Nancy Borstelmann, MPH, LICSW. "One person's experience affects all. That's why we offer support for the whole family."

Paths of Progress, Fall/Winter 2003

Paths of Progress Archive

Program helps families 'connect'

When Bill Wittbold learned he had advanced lung cancer, he and his wife, Karen, gathered their seven children around the kitchen table so he could tell them the news. He said he loved them, it wasn't anyone's fault, and they should carry on with their lives. Then, with cancer spread through both of his lungs, the 47-year-old went out to mow the lawn.
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