Patient Profile: Monica SteegFeeling Positive and Practicing Gratitude through Treatment
Like many people, Monica Steeg fell behind on her medical care during 2020. With COVID numbers ramping up and people being encouraged to put off routine care and screenings to prevent COVID spread, Monica’s annual mammogram was put on hold. At her next annual screening, in the fall of 2021, the mammogram revealed a small growth. Monica had cancer.
“I didn’t want anything, no chemo or anything,” recalls Monica after learning about her diagnosis. She had watched her mother’s struggles with cancer treatment after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and felt hesitant about going through cancer treatment herself. “It was such a bad experience,” Monica remembers.
Monica’s primary physician referred her to Dr. Srilata Gundala of Hope & Healing Cancer Services in Hinsdale, Illinois. “Dr. Gundala was so kind and wonderful,” said Monica. After getting more information about her diagnosis, including a second opinion that Dr. Gundala had recommended, Monica learned that despite her cancer, she was lucky. “I had a good prognosis from the start. I’m very grateful I had an early diagnosis.”
Even with early detection, Monica went through over three months of chemotherapy, a lumpectomy, radiation, and adjuvant treatment. It would be easy to give in to pity or a bad attitude knowing that she had well over a year of cancer treatment ahead of her, but Monica never gave in or gave up. Instead, she focused on the positives in her life.
It helped tremendously that Monica never experienced the horrible side effects of treatment that she saw her mother go through. When the impact of the chemotherapy was felt, she coped by taking anti-nausea meds as instructed and learned to count down the days after every treatment. “It wasn’t fun for a few days, I would get crabby, and then I got through it,” says Monica.
One way of coping that Monica found especially helpful was doing everything she could to maintain her health and wellness. She stopped eating meat and shifted to a plant-based diet. She exercised every day. She maintained an active schedule of visits with friends and family. When you get a cancer diagnosis, “You’re not powerless,” says Monica, “You can make changes to be as healthy as possible.” She realized, “Even if I didn’t have cancer, at 69 years old, I won’t be here forever. I want to live.” So live is what Monica did, even through her cancer treatment.
With family in Florida, Monica worked with Dr. Gundala and her treatment team at Hope & Healing to schedule her infusions around family events and visits. The schedule enabled her to make regular trips to Florida to be with family and attend holiday gatherings. “I felt like as soon as I was able to do things, I did them,” says Monica. That included travel. The promise of regular doses of Florida’s warmth and sunshine helped carry Monica through the roughest months of treatment.
Dr. Gundala never underestimates the power of patients maintaining healthy habits and a positive attitude through their treatment, “Happy patients are often healthier patients. If a patient will benefit from family visits or even small trips that give them something to look forward to, we will encourage that and do whatever we can to keep the treatment schedule flexible,” says Dr. Gundala, “It is possible to live a full life while treating cancer and benefits patients tremendously.”
Another thing that helped Monica cope with her treatments was thinking about her attitude and what cancer meant to her. “I didn’t want to think of myself as sick,” she says. “It was better for me if I didn’t focus on cancer. I didn’t want to identify too much with it. I didn’t feel like a patient, even though I was recovering.”
So what happens when one of the most visible and hard to ignore parts of being a cancer patient --hair loss -- occurs? For Monica, that was near the end of her chemotherapy and it was gradual. “I lost my hair, but it wasn’t as disturbing as I thought it would be,” remembers Monica. “Wigs were uncomfortable, but feeling embarrassed didn’t keep me from doing something social whenever I could. It was actually a perk to see myself with short hair!”
Monica’s positive attitude and gratitude helped her during her cancer treatment. Something else that she credits with helping her is the staff and environment at Hope & Healing Cancer Services. “The small office, Dr. Gundala there on site, private rooms – I felt very looked after at all times,” says Monica, “And Dr. Gundala has a wonderful bedside manner. She knows who you are and hugs you at each visit. It is cheerful there with kind people and individual attention.” Monica worked hard to maintain a positive attitude during her cancer treatment, including choosing a treatment environment at Hope & Healing Cancer Services that mirrored her positive nature.
Written By: Sheila Quirke, MSW
Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, MD
