2023-06-01 11:47:30
Clémentine is 30 years old and is a journalist at franceinfo. In June 2022, he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and very aggressive digestive cancer. She tells in this podcast her fight once morest the disease, her hopes and her doubts. In this last episode, she addresses the first good news since the announcement of her cancer.
At the beginning of May 2023, following three months of targeted therapies, Clémentine faces the famous ax. She goes for a CT scan and sees the oncologists to find out if these months of effort have paid off and if this new treatment is working. “We talk regarding a lot of thingssays Clementine, and following a while, the oncologist ends up telling me regarding the scan images, and then she says the word ‘reassuring’.” Clémentine takes time to dissect and dissect the word.
The oncologist explains to him that the main tumor – that of the liver – is stable, that the metastases in the left hip are stable, and that those present in the lungs and at the level of the liver ganglion are decreasing. “It’s just unexpectedsays Clementine. You have been told for months that at best we can hope for stability, and here we are talking regarding a reduction. It’s great, but at the time, I can’t integrate it. For the oncologist, the results are good, it is reassuring.”
The question of the prognosis remains unanswered for Clémentine, especially since she found on the Internet frightening results of 7 to 10% survival at five years when one is operable. “I just want to put these numbers in front of her so she can react and finally give me something to take in.” But the question remains unanswered: “This targeted therapy has only really been used for two or three years. And three-quarters of the clinical trials are five years back. There are no figures to rely on.” A single track is put forward by the doctor, that of a plateau reached by patients following a decline in the disease. But many uncertainties remain.
“It’s still a big new piece to integrate, because I don’t know if I’ll still be here in five years. The news is reassuring, but the future is still very uncertain.”
Clementinein the podcast “My life facing cancer”
Clémentine really realizes that the scan results are good when she meets her other oncologist: “I become aware when I saw his happy face and his smile. I tell him that I have a little trouble realizing what is happening and he says to me: ‘But wait, you realize, it’s been a year that you come here and you are told only bad news. So, there, finally, you have good news. Obviously, it will take you a little time, it is logical, but it is good news .'”
“I want to party”
While debriefing with her relatives regarding the prognosis, Clémentine’s mother has a sentence that marks her enormously: “I see it as death at the end of the road, but which has moved away a little nonetheless.” For Clémentine, the sword of Damocles has risen a few centimeters and there is less weight on her shoulders. “I walk almost straighter, lighter, because we finally have a treatment that works for good.” She will be able to keep the quality of life acquired with the targeted therapy, and will for example be able to resume her work and drop the mask, because she is no longer immunocompromised.
“I have the impression that we are removing the kind of cage in which my chest has been locked for a year. I breathe deeply and it feels crazy.”
Clémentine now needs to rediscover the carelessness of her thirties. “I’m not like everyone my age, but I want to party, enjoy and savor every moment of this life, says Clémentine. It’s pretty crazy. I feel like I have a second chance at life.”
“As long as I cancontinues Clementine, I don’t want to miss a single opportunity to say what I want when I want, and do what I want. To actually live. I want to savor moments with my loved ones, as I did recently with my two nieces and my sister by the sea. It was just great to make sandcastles. I want to do great professional projects. I already have ideas in my head. I don’t want to let a single second pass and above all don’t bother me anymore with all these shackles I used to bother myself with before.”
“The important thing is not the destination, but the journey.” For Clémentine, this quote now takes on its full meaning: “The end, it is known, there is not too much mystery regarding it, but there is everything that will lead to it and I don’t want to waste these moments that will lead to it, none of between them.”
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