With a frail voice after enduring a final full-body radiation treatment just hours earlier, Pam Walz recapped her multi-year fight with cancer that lead her to that very hospital room.
She explained how a suspicious test result in 2012 led her on an 8-year journey while barely missing a day of work. Becky Baker, who worked with her at the library throughout those years, said no one would have assumed Walz was ill until the final three weeks before Walz's last radiation treatment.
A day away from a donor cell transplant but with no appetite, Walz found herself on the cusp of recovery after an arduous journey.
Her bout with cancer began in December 2012 when Dr. Connie Novak noticed something askew in Walz's blood work. She recommended seeing a hematologist/oncologist in Lincoln. There Walz was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, an uncommon bone marrow cancer that disrupts the natural production of blood cells. And her outlook, at that time, wasn't promising.
“It was very shocking because at that time there wasn't much known about this disease,” she said. “He just said this is likely to kill you. That's pretty shocking.”
More has been discovered about myelofibrosis since her diagnosis. Walz got tested by her oncologist/hematologist for a calreticulin gene mutation in the disease that increased her chance of survival. The test showed she had the calreticulin gene mutation. That same day they mapped her path towards recovery.
“It gave us some hope,” she said. “We'd known since I was diagnosed that I heard the transplant was the only thing that could cure me.”
She couldn't remember exactly where on her timeline that they discovered the mutation, as she's seen that hematologist/oncologist every few months since her diagnosis in 2012. She's also gone to see transplant doctors at the medical center. She went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, which gave her the exact diagnosis as initially discovered. There they also recommended getting a transplant closer to home.
Those resources also helped her find support groups online – both education and emotional.
Walz said she's always been an outgoing person, so reaching out to those groups wasn't as difficult as it may have been for others. She got excited the first time she met someone with the same disease. Walz and her husband Greg met this person from Omaha and their partner, who were both knowledgeable of the cancer, for lunch initially.
“It was very encouraging,” she said. “It really helped. It's been nice to connect with people.”
Her high spirits continued until recent weeks when her health took a turn.
“I've been very lucky to have very good health up until now,” she said. “It's starting to get kind of bad. Before this I was very healthy.”
Walz said she's also been thankful to have a supporting group of friends and coworkers. Before going to the hospital to receive six consecutive days of chemotherapy, a group of friends donated cards and gifts in a drive-by celebration. Walz loved that not-so-subtle reminder that she hasn't been in the journey alone.
Chemotherapy and radiation treatment were needed to eliminate all cancerous cells. Those needed eliminating before receiving donor cells, which she's been told come from a 30-year-old male.
Recapping her ordeal on the eve of that operation was almost surreal.
“It's pretty exciting,” she said. “I'm not feeling very great the last couple of days. It's been challenging. I've got no appetite, so I've forced myself to eat.”
Greg's been by her side in the hospital for most of it. He's only allowed to be there during the day because of COVID-related restrictions. Walz said she's loved the staff and nurses.
Once she's released from the hospital, three weeks after the transplant, she has to live at the Buffet Cancer Center in Omaha for 100 days. Her cell numbers need to naturally increase, as does her immune system, since her hemoglobin has been completely eliminated.
“We hope the donor cells take over my body and take control of my body,” she said.
Though fatigued and not hungry, Walz made sure she shared the important aspects of her fight with cancer. Especially those who have helped her get this far.
“I'm lucky to have supportive family, friends and coworkers,” she said. “And I guess that's the basics of the mechanics of it.”
