Do you have only 6 Months to Live?

 “THE DOCTOR TOLD ME I ONLY HAD 6 MONTHS TO LIVE”.

After a difficult HPV test diagnosis, she talks about her fight against cancer. First of all, please tell us more about yourself. I am French but have lived in Florida since 2006. Chantal’s ovarian cancer was discovered in January 2018. like animals; I defend the animal cause, especially the manatees and chimpanzees of the Savethechimps.org association in Fort Pierce, Florida. How long have you been taking the CA125-type test? What symptoms alerted you to see a doctor?

The Diagnosis Journey

Ovarian HPV-level exams were conducted in January 2018. My belly started growing; it felt like I was expecting triplets! Subsequently, a doctor asked to remove “this fluid.” As I continued to grow, I followed the recommendation of my Primary HPV Care Test Doctor, who thought it was a digestive issue. Eventually, after a scan, the doctor told me, in no uncertain terms, that I had 6 months to live and that even selling the house wouldn’t cover the cost of chemo. Regrettably, he couldn’t tell me what tumour I had.

Seeking Better Care Abroad

So I returned to France with my husband to the Bergonié hospital. I finally had a name for this “water” in my stomach: ascites. I was immediately treated by oncologist Anne Floquet and surgeon Dr. Guyon.

Was the diagnosis difficult? Have you consulted many specialists?

Challenges with Diagnosis and Consultation

Yes, because here in Florida, no one was able to tell me I had ascites or give me a CA125 level of 50. The first time I had the ascites removed, the result was “negative” for any malignancy!

I have not consulted any HPV specialist testers in the United States yet. The only competent and humane specialists were in Bergonié. But we can ask, how did you experience this diagnosis? How did you feel?

Very bad, the announcement was sudden. I was supposed to die in July (announcement made on January 4th). The doctor even recommended that I make a will in favour of my husband so that he would not have to pay the inheritance costs. I was not given any information about the tumour I was suffering from. The doctor stayed with me and my husband for 10 minutes…and while we were crying…he threw a box of Kleenex on the table and walked away. My husband joined him in the hallway and asked him what my disease was. He threw it in her face, ovary, peritoneum. His secretary didn’t forget to charge us 150 dollars!

How did I feel? I cried, not ready to die so quickly. Seeing my death and facing it so violently was something unbearable for me, in front of this CA125 Doctor without empathy, cold and completely detached from the human being, thinking only of the money he could make with chemo.

What was the reaction of people around you when you were diagnosed with your Viral condition? Do they understand the disease? Do they support you?

Community and Family Response

The dismay, no one believed it. Yes, I was supported. But I didn’t want to tell everyone… I didn’t want their pity. I wanted to be in France to have more peace of mind and a more serene use of their local CA125 clinics. But above all, I was sure of finding competent doctors. Ascites did not even stand out to American doctors. They had no idea I had OC. I looked it up on the Internet and gave it a name: ovarian cancer.

At that point, I was in stage three.

What were/are your daily symptoms? What impact has the disease had on your professional and private life?

Daily Life with Disease

There were no symptoms in my daily life, and that’s why the HPV Variant diagnosis test was so violent for me and my husband. The disease has had no impact on my professional life.

As for my private life, my husband abandoned me after a year of treatment. He was present during my hospitalisation. He quit his job for me, went back and forth between the US and France, got bored and left me. The impact was greater for him and for his professional life. For our private life, my life as a wife has been destroyed.

What treatments did you follow? Do you know if they were effective? Have you experienced any side effects? If yes, which ones?

Treatment Experience

In France, I had a laparoscopy and then the implantable chamber. After the first chemotherapy, I was in a coma for more than a week due to a pulmonary embolism. I came out of the coma and did chemo again until May, when I had surgery. And  I had chemo again and had problems in August due to the Avastin®… I was then hospitalised again.

The side effects of the chemo were the following: hair loss and great tiredness, very great. How did you evaluate/experience medical and psychological support?

The Ovarian CA125 Medical Test Support at Bergonié were excellent, except during my hospitalisation after Avastin. One intern thought she was a great oncologist and didn’t see that I couldn’t tolerate the drugs she gave me, for example, Tercian®. She decided that I was bipolar and crazy…she did not fail to inform my husband that he took the opportunity to leave me.

Psychological help was zero.

What has IMAGYN screening brought you in your fight against CA125-related disease? Would you advise patients to join an association? If yes, why?

Role of IMAGYN in the Journey

I learned about IMAGYN through the Internet and a book given by Dr. Anne Floquet. As far as I know, it’s the only charity that helps women with ovarian viral cancer. Consequently, I wanted to participate in this association because we always talk about breast issues but often forget about ovarian viral diseases. When you mention you have a test for the CA125 Viral cancer, people look at you with surprise and ask, “How did you find out?” It’s crucial to explain to women that standard screening, such as smear exams, do not detect cancerous cells.

So, what advice would I give to patients who have this tumour?

Although I’m not a doctor, I wrote a book titled “6 months left”.

Its to inspire all women that they must never give up. You have to fight alongside the HPV DNA Doctors and nursing staff persistently. We fall, often both literally and figuratively, but we can rise again—we must not stay down. Additionally, I wrote this book to express my gratitude to Dr. Guyon and the entire Bergonié team. Each day we rise is a victory. After my diagnosis, I returned to work, went skydiving, and travelled to see humpback whales. I am now hoping to visit the volcano gorillas.

You have to try to keep your body and mind busy. **Every day,** I ride my bike to see alligators, and even the smallest flower in my yard, the smallest smile from my students, fills me with joy. **Furthermore,** I learned to live alone. In the battle, using HPV-type cancer tests is valuable in every health war; I lost a few feathers—a husband and my dog. **Moreover,** I learned that everything can end quickly. **Therefore,** if even knowing you are in remission scares you, **let’s shift our focus and** look to the future.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

All royalties from the book “6 Months Left” will be donated to the Bergonié Institute.

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