Native Animal Medicine believes the butterfly represents courage: one requires courage to carry out the changes necessary in the process of growth.
In 2004, I was going to take control of my life. It started out to be my ‘healthiest year ever’, lose weight and exercise more. Little did I know that my thyroid was going to play a significant role in my personal transformation. The symbolism of the butterfly was about to unfold.
Although there was a family history of thyroid problems (mom, hypothyroid & sister, benign lump), my doctor confirmed that my thyroid was functioning fine. Improper diet and lack of exercise had to be the cause of my excess weight. With the support and inspiration from my family, friends and colleagues, I followed a healthy eating plan and started walking. By September, I had lost 48lbs and I came to appreciate how important my health was to me and those I love. I thought that I was the now the butterfly, but I was the caterpillar because an even greater change was coming.
While having lunch with my sister she noticed a lump deep in my throat. My doctor confirmed the growth and noted that losing weight saved my life because my growth would continue to grow and most likely would have remained undetected and if cancerous, it could result in death. My doctor immediately booked me an appointment with an Endocrinologist. I was scheduled me for a fine needle biopsy (FNB). Ten days later, the news wasn’t what I had expected. The pathology report showed “highly suspect” – papillary carcinoma. I was booked an appointment with a surgeon with the recommendation of a lumpectomy and full thyroidectomy for the best prognosis. My surgeon booked my surgery and rather than wait and wonder, I participated in my first 5k race – CIBC Run for the Cure, that month. Although, I was running to honour my mom’s battle with breast cancer, I deep down I was running for my life.
I turned to the survivors Thyca & Thry’vors websites for support and information. One of my key supporters was a manager at work. She had gone through Thyroid Cancer two years earlier. The websites and my manager provided me with more information than any of my doctors. My surgery went well and by the next morning I was ready to go home. Less than a week later I was back at work. Ten days later the recommended follow-up was the full radio-active iodine treatment because the tumor although “well-differentiated”, was 4.3cm (extremely large).
February 2005, I headed into my hypothyroidism or as I now refer to it as my cocoon state. I am an active, vibrant and social person. Keeping up with my fitness regime was impossible, so I focused on yoga. I can only describe this experience of “hypo-hell” as my month of ‘weeping and sleeping’. Following my RAI treatment, my scan indicated significant uptake which could mean there are still some thyroid/cancer cells present, so she scheduled my second RAI treatment two weeks before Christmas. This time Thyrogen was prescribed to avoid the whole hypo-hell and the LID. On Dec. 22 my specialist called to tell me my scan was CLEAR.
The courage to carry out what was necessary to emerge from this experience has made me stronger, healthier and with a belief that I can have an impact that goes beyond my immediate, everyday life. I now volunteer and participate in fundraising events especially those related to research and survivorship – because cancer is cancer. If we work together, we can change the odds for those facing cancer.
One year later my metamorphous is complete. To honour my survivorship I got a butterfly tattoo.
Rhonda McMahon is an avid walker, novice runner with a passion for life which she shares with her family and friends in Guelph, Ontario.