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Anyone who has fought cancer knows what followed; the endless trips to doctors, hospitals, infusion clinics, rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. It didn’t seem to matter what they did, nothing worked. For two years we continued to pray and hang on to hope, but the cancer continued to return. She never allowed us or anyone to entertain the idea that she wouldn’t beat this. But concern was growing; it seemed the doctors didn’t have any new treatment plan. What now? Where do we go from here?
It wasn’t long until our prayers were answered when she became eligible for a new procedure at the Mayo Clinic. She and her husband spent months at the Clinic preparing for the surgery. Although these months away were long and difficult, she remained optimistic; telling herself this was the final step to rid her body of the cancer that had taken control. They performed the 7-hour surgery in April 2006; it was a joyful moment with screams and tears when the doctors told us the surgery was successful. She would need to stay a few weeks then be sent home to resume her life.
She did come home and resume living. She returned to work that summer and was even able to drive her daughter to school each day that fall, something she hadn’t been able to do for some time, something her daughter had missed so much. That few minutes each day that she got Mama all to herself.
This joy was short lived. In November 2006 she began experiencing pain in her leg again. She immediately headed to the doctor and asked for a CAT scan. The doctor assured her that she was fine, that she had had a clear scan just a few months before, but she insisted and she wasn’t wrong. The tumor had returned.
It all began again, the doctor’s appointments, the hospitals, the infusion clinic, and the chemotherapy. The pain was constant now; the difficulties in managing her pain became an hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute struggle.
In April of 2007, we sat in the doctor’s office, waiting the results of the CAT scan from the last round of Chemo. The doctor not only told us that the tumor had not shrunk; he told us it had actually increased in size. That last round of Chemo had done nothing. There was no further treatment; she was told they had come to the end of road! The cancer was terminal! There were no more options!
Brandie Rose Courtad lost her long and courageous battle with Cervical Cancer on July 2, 2007. She was 30 years old and left behind an adoring husband and a 12-year-old daughter. She also left behind a huge extended family and circle of friends that miss her each and every day.
There are so many memories of Brandie; her laugh, her beautiful smile, her zest for life. But what I remember most is that she never, ever gave up hope. Even at the end, she never entertained the idea that she wouldn’t beat this cancer. At times, she would console us. I shall never admire anyone more! She was true inspiration!
Brandie was my daughter-in-law and my friend. I can still hear her laugh and see her smile. What I miss most is her hugs; she embraced people as she embraced life, with every ounce of her being. These are the things we want people to remember about her, not the fact that she had cancer. Cancer is what she had - it wasn’t who she was. What she was, was a loving, warm, strong woman that will remain forever in our hearts!
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