It wasn’t germy kids that almost did Frances in. It was a lop-eared rabbit who escaped from a kindergarten room. Frances found him chewing on a computer cord one Monday morning. When she grabbed the rabbit, he bit her twice. Because chemo affects the immune system, the doctor put her on strong antibiotics right away.
About a year after her treatment, Frances was back at the doctor with pain in her hip and ribs. When a bone scan was inconclusive, the oncologist wanted to watch the spots and wait. Frances didn’t intend to wait. She called one of her former doctors in Texas, and persuaded him to schedule an MRI. She flew to Dallas for the MRI, which fortunately didn’t find any cancer. “It was worth every penny to get a quick answer,” she says. “I just couldn’t wait. I had to know.”
By the time I met Frances, she was a nine-year survivor and a ball of energy. In addition to her regular teaching, she coached the middle school math team, volunteered at the Bloch Cancer Center, and took care of her aging mother. Whenever she got a chance, she visited her adult children in Texas and her extended family scattered across the United States.
In the seven years we taught together, we had other colleagues diagnosed with cancer. I watched Frances teach other women to be assertive, to insist on tests, to ask for second opinions, to advocate for their own health.
Now technically retired, Frances teaches math part-time, plays with her grandchildren, and continues as a volunteer with Bloch. “When someone has a diagnosis similar to mine, they give me her name so I can call and talk to her.” She’s still encouraging people to be persistent
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