The Dust Busting Chronicles
Cleaning My Way Through Ovarian Cancer
by
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Cheryl L. Cushine - 2
I knew, shortly after her death, that my life in
During our two year battle with ovarian cancer, the living room couch transformed from snug loveseat to chemo-recovery divan sporting a vomit bin, crusty tissues and saltine cracker crumbs. Overnight, our cozy bed draped with a handmade quilt and crisp pink cotton sheets became a place for painful dry-heaving, nightmares and infusion induced comas that were the sleep of death.
From the bed, Lyse watched as I dressed for work in the mornings. She was in no hurry to get up. Death was coming whether she was up or not. She’d smile at me lazily as I watched the sunlight from the arc window brush across her pale face and cracked lips, dance in her fading brown eyes, and settle on to her shiny scalp that had retained a couple of thin, wispy hairs.
The master bath, once our passion spa, had changed from a place of steamy showers and lovemaking to an agonizing repository of retch, diarrhea, and eventually, small, hard feces forced through intestines blocked by a black, cancerous growth.
No, I couldn’t stay in River Edge. I couldn’t even stay in
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About the Book
The Dust Busting Chronicles: Cleaning My Way Through Ovarian Cancer details the horrific and life-altering battle against ovarian cancer during a harrowing 19-month period. The story relays the logistical challenges of a life-threatening disease, and explores poignant moments of hope, anger, frustration and defeat.
The story begins with the author packing up her life in
Cheryl’s obsessive-compulsive disorder grows in scope as Lyse’s medical challenges put a strangle hold on all areas of their life. The story gives the reader an intimate view of the dark side of the author’s coping mechanism and the stress that accompanies her rituals.
The first chemotherapy regimen results in a good report, but several months later, the couple receives discouraging news. Two more chemotherapy protocols follow and both yield disastrous results.
The final three weeks of Lyse’s life, spent at
Fifty percent of the profits from the sale of “The Dust Busting Chronicles: Cleaning My Way Through Ovarian Cancer” will be donated to:
The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Inc.
14 Pennsylvania Plaza
Suite 1400
New York, NY 10122
Phone: 212-268-1002
About the Author
Winning first prize for Haiku in a college poetry contest, Cheryl graciously accepted her $100 and then folded the verses and tucked them into a box of books to be stored. She went on to pursue a career as a music therapist, working with geriatrics and mentally-challenged adults. She continued writing Haiku, and even some short essays, roused by the poignant moments found in stagnant hallways and brightly lit activity rooms of the nursing home.
After migrating to the world of business, Cheryl enjoyed a career in project and client-support based services, spending the last seven years of her twenty-two year tenure in management.
During her years in the corporate world, Cheryl quietly struggled with the demands and symptoms of her obsessive-compulsive disorder. Symptoms of worrying and cleaning, kept mostly under wraps, became oppressive and debilitating during the months of her partner’s illness.
This period of crisis transformed her OCD from a familiar coping mechanism into a venomous guerrilla. During the worst of her partner’s illness, Cheryl sought treatment for her own affliction. This allowed her to continue providing Lyse with undivided love, devotion, and management of her medical needs.
Almost three-and-a-half years later, Cheryl is living a quiet and contented life in
Cheryl may be reached at milsandmom@yahoo.com.