Lorie’s journey, like that of countless other cancer survivors, is one of personal strength, faith, family and hope. It is also a journey of unexpected discovery. What Lorie has learned, through treatment and genetic testing at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center, is helping to protect her and the lives and health of her family — today and for generations to come.
Lorie’s daughter, Karen Naylor, 23, will forever remember the moment that cancer entered their lives. It was the summer of 2001.
“Mom came home crying, and soon Mom and Dad were crying together,” Karen explains.
Lorie had endometrial cancer, a cancer of the lining of the uterus that necessitated a radical hysterectomy. As time passed, Lorie, husband Greg and the kids rejoiced in her recovery, thinking cancer was behind them. Then, more than a year later, came the headaches — excruciatingly painful headaches.
Expecting to confirm a sinus infection, Lorie’s physician ordered X-rays, then an MRI. It revealed a brain tumor the size of a large plum.
“We got the call and checked Lorie into Methodist Hospital that day,” Greg says.
An expert, multidisciplinary team of physicians worked to customize a treatment plan that would give Lorie her best chance for survival. The odds were not in her favor.
Lorie had glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, a grade 4 cancer. It is the most aggressive and deadly brain cancer.
“The prognosis is poor,” explains Stephen Lemon, MD, Lorie’s oncologist. “On average, survival is about 10 months without treatment, perhaps 15 months with treatment.”
With any cancer, Dr. Lemon advises a combination of realism and hope. “Cancer is unpredictable,” he says. “I tell my patients that you may do better or worse than these averages, but we will do everything we can to keep your cancer from coming back.”
Lorie’s tumor was surgically removed in October 2002. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy followed. Lorie remembers being surrounded by her loving family and thinking, “This could be my last Thanksgiving. This could be my last Christmas.”
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The family chose to make the most of whatever time remained. A wedding was planned so that Lorie and Greg, who had eloped nearly 25 years before, could renew their vows in the church where their faith had deepened. Expecting a small gathering, Lorie was delighted to find the church overflowing with family and friends.
Greg also arranged a surprise trip to major league baseball’s spring training in Ft. Lauderdale. He wanted Lorie to meet Rob Ramsey, the Orioles pitcher whose GBM diagnosis had made headlines.
“We saw Rob outside the stadium, and I tipped my cap back,” Lorie remembers. “He spotted the telltale scar, grinned and strode right over to us.” For both Lorie and Rob, this was the first chance to meet another GBM survivor.
This October, the Olsons are celebrating a happy milestone. Four years have passed, and Lorie is cancer-free, working and enjoying a full life. She feels blessed to have lived to see her three oldest children marry and to welcome her first grandchild into the world.
Dr. Lemon believes Lorie’s positive attitude and supportive family have contributed to her success. He also points to the strong cancer support systems at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center, including the physicians, nurses, laboratory and radiology departments, behavioral health and other services.
“It takes all of these things to do a good job for the patient,” Dr. Lemon explains.
For Lorie, Methodist’s genetic counseling and testing services were particularly helpful.
Dr. Lemon, who is fellowship-trained in hereditary cancer, felt that Lorie’s unusual combination of cancers, young age and family history suggested a specific genetic component. Four years ago, he referred Lorie to the Methodist Cancer Prevention and Hereditary Cancer Risk Program.
Lorie met with the program’s nurse coordinator, Kathy Christiansen, RN, BSN, OCN, to supply as much family medical information as possible. When Lorie contacted a side of the family she had lost track of, their information exchange sparked a warm and ongoing reconnection — and the list of known family members with cancer grew.
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