Through A Mother's Eyes:
The Ups and Downs of a Cure
by
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Excerpt from Through A Mother’s Eyes: The Ups and Downs of A Cure;
When the doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) confirmed my two and a half year old daughter had leukemia, my mental and physical state of being immediately went into shock. I felt helplessly weak, numb, and mentally disconnected from the world. In my mind, I had just been swept up into an inaccessible space and time zone; whirled up like roof tops, cars, and other debris that get caught up in the midst of an enormous tornado... I was led into an eerie closet-like consultation room in the corner of the ER. The white walls were bare. There was a big comfortable arm chair, two smaller chairs, a beige push button telephone, and a box of opened tissues atop of a small light brown wooden table. The doctor was to come in shortly to tell me what type of leukemia Joi had... While waiting for what seemed like hours for the specialist, I prayed that the doctor misdiagnosed Joi’s condition...He said leukemia is cancer of the blood. No one in our family had the disease, at least not to my knowledge...I heard of leukemia but in my ignorance I thought leukemia was a serious disease that was hereditary and only affected Caucasians. On the other side of the door I tried to identify the footsteps of the specialist. The wait was unbearable. I cried out from within, “Oh God, p-l-e-a-s-e, don’t let this be true. Please don’t let my baby have cancer. She’s only two and a half years old.” The anticipated moment ended when I heard a slight tap on the door. Suddenly I wasn’t ready to accept whatever the doctor was going to say. “Come in”, was my apprehensive response.
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About the Book
"...I believe this information will help many parents be prepared for the unknown, and assist in letting them know that their experiences are not unique. In Through A Mother’s Eye’s: The Ups and Downs of a Cure, essential information on the “process”, not just the detailed medical information, will help to guide many parents through an unthinkable journey. Throughout the 14 chapters, Dorothy provides candid descriptions of the challenges she faced when her young daughter was diagnosed with leukemia and suffered a subsequent relapse, the toxicities of the treatments, the difficulties of navigating the health care system, and real life problems intruding through (including a house fire and threats of losing one’s job)...All of these shared experiences are invaluable for those who will be exposed to these similar situations." Kara Kelly, M.D. Professor of Pediatrics Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation Columbia University Medical Center New York, New York According to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s 2013 Childhood Cancer Awareness Infographic: Every year 11,600 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. Every year 1,310 kids will die from their disease. Each year about 4% of government funding on cancer research is spent on childhood cancer. A portion of the proceeds from the book sale is going towards cancer research at CHOP.
About the Author
Dorothy E. Sims earned a Master’s Degree in Arts and Cultural Management from Rosemont College. As a Robert McKee’s Story Seminar Alumni she is published in the 16th, 17th, and 18th Moonstone’s Art’s Center’s Annual Poetry Ink Book. Dorothy is a playwright. She co-authored, performed, and toured with original musicals.
The reader is invited to witness the devastating physical and psychological effects of chemotherapy my daughter experienced and to see how through the medical team, prayer, and faith she was healed.
In West Philadelphia born and raised Dorothy resides in the Wynnefield Heights section of the city with her sister Carolyn Sims- Nesmith. She is the proud mother of Ebony Rose and Joi Victoria Turner. She is a member of Sharon Baptist Church and serves on the Public Relations Ministry which provides food and clothing to families in need. She is also in the Drama Ministry where her play, “Hear My Cry” and her vignettes were performed. The Drama Ministry mentors youth via drama. As a member of the historic Freedom Choir of Philadelphia for over 40 years, Dorothy’s roles included: alto/tenor; actor; writer/cowriter; executive producer; and Public Relations Director.
Dorothy retired from 31 years at Verizon Communications and is an independent contractor with NORC at the University of Chicago, and WESTAT an independent research firm; conducting interviews for government research projects. She also works part-time as a Standardized Patient (SP) for Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) in Camden New Jersey.
In April 2013 Dorothy portrayed a nurse in an educational video for Penn Presbyterian Hospital showing patient’s what’s expected when visiting the Emergency Department.