In honor of International Women’s Day, today’s Voice of Kidney Cancer is Katherine Canupp. Read her beautiful tribute to her mother Pattie Canupp who inspired her to pursue a career in oncology research.
Time to Make the Sandwiches
“Wake up, it’s time to make sandwiches!” If you ask anyone my mom’s favorite phrase on vacation at Surfside Beach, SC, they’ll all laugh and tell you this. That woman would beat everyone at getting up in the morning to make sandwiches and pack enough food in the coolers for the day at the beach to feed a small village. I remember one year, just her and I going to Huntington Beach a few miles down the road from Surfside at 5am where we walked at least nine miles that morning just gathering the best-looking sea shells we could find along the ocean side. My mom was absolutely obsessed with sea shells! Of course, she passed this obsession on to me. You would never know she had cancer by looking or talking to her, and especially not if you ever tried keeping up with ALL of her energy!
My mom was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma my second year of undergrad in 2007. I remember just like it was yesterday, standing in the kitchen with my younger brother and sister, my mom sitting down in the kitchen chair and my dad standing at her right side when she broke the news that no one ever wants to hear. “They found a tumor the size of a tennis ball in my left kidney, they said it was cancer.” “They didn’t give me a time frame, could be two, five or ten years, they don’t know, but it has to be removed now.” In that moment I understood for the first time the meaning of “earth shattering.” I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, talk, or move as my entire body was numb. God only knows how mom felt, as she hid everything with a smile and a prayer.
This was only one of about six other major surgeries she would have during her life, not to mention short trial runs of cancer drugs, a lot of radiation and countless routine checkups. The last surgery she had at age 60 left her with a scar across ¾ the length of her spine as a tumor had wrapped itself around two vertebrae in which both had to be removed and then replaced with a cage. Her major concern from the surgery was “will I still be able to bend down to pick up sea shells?” She was always so full of hope, energy and determination to still beat what was now Stage IV metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Over the years the hospital became our second home, as we spent one New Year just watching TV in the inpatient room, just grateful for the time we still had together.
Nearly one year after her spinal surgery, we found out the cancer had slowly made its way to her brain. The day after my 28th birthday, the symptoms started to show as she started to sleep more and got to where she couldn’t even walk and would fall down if she tried. Hospice would come to our house a few days a week while we were there, and my family and friends took shifts taking care of mom. It killed me to see such a powerful and courageous woman helpless as palliative care and continued support was all that was left to give.
After eight years of battling renal cell carcinoma, mom WON her battle with cancer on January 14th, 2015 with my family and I by her side as she took her last breath at home. I was accepted into Pharmacy School one month after she passed away. I am now in my third year and my focus after graduating is to specialize in oncology and research. There might not have been a cure for my mom, but her journey has driven me to find one for other patients and families going through similar situations. I’ve learned to stay strong, determined, focused and above everything else, stay hopeful.
