Emma Wilson was 17 when bone cancer killed her mom. She was 49 when her dad died from lung cancer.
And she was 53 when the same malignancy that struck her father also claimed her oldest brother.
Despite these foreboding genetics, Wilson listened a year ago as her physician explained that the biopsy taken from a golf-ball-sized knot in her left breast tested positive for cancer, and she was sure someone had made a mistake.
"Is someone else in this room?" Wilson, now 55, recalled thinking. "I know he’s not talking to me."
Then the doctor informed Wilson she should schedule a mastectomy.
Wilson left the appointment, her mind cluttered with thoughts of her relatives who died of cancer, the friends she also lost to the disease, her three daughters and nine grandchildren, and her job as director of Dixon House, a community resource center. In the haze, she neglected to call her sister for a ride, and instead walked from 13th and Wolf to her home on the 1700 block of South 22nd Street.
"I think my family took the news worse than I did," Wilson said, not that she was taking it particularly well.
The next morning, Wilson woke up to banging at her front door and a voice shouting from the outside, "Get up! Get up! Get up! Nobody is dead in here. It’s just a little pause in your life." It was her friend, Jenny "Bootsy" Johnson, who arrived armed with hugs and inspirational albums by gospel singer Yolanda Adams.
As news spread through the neighborhood about Wilson’s diagnosis, friends flooded her home with floral arrangements, and people she had not spoken to for years contacted her.
Another friend gave her a book outlining the special dietary needs of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy that Wilson said was an invaluable resource. It taught her why cancer patients should avoid chicken unless it was organically grown, as well as grilled foods. The text also recommended supplementing a daily diet with servings of sunflower seeds, carrot juice and beets to boost the red blood cell count, which Wilson did.
"It was so overwhelming," she said. "I don’t think I would have ever gotten as far as I am if I didn’t have the support that I had."
Now closing in on recovery, Wilson wants to thank her Point Breeze neighborhood and raise other people’s awareness of cancer. She said the topic is taboo, especially among blacks.
The American Cancer Society for years has recognized that minority-dominated neighborhoods are not as aware of cancer issues, like prevention and treatments, as are more affluent communities. Part of the organization’s mission is to address these disparities.
Several factors contribute to this lack of information, said Gene Terry, a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society’s Philadelphia chapter.
Two of the biggest obstacles include many minorities’ distrust of the healthcare system and inability to make regular doctor’s visits because of a lack of health insurance, he said. A third issue — one that Wilson said she found to be true — is minorities are often reluctant to talk about cancer, Terry said.
The American Cancer Society tries to dispel these stigmas through several programs designed for minorities. One called "Reach for Recovery" partners a breast cancer survivor with a woman recently diagnosed with the disease, Terry said. The survivor visits the person in the hospital, providing support and information about what to expect during treatment.
Another program is called "Let’s Talk About It." It focuses on African-American males, providing them with information about prostate cancer. Black men have the highest incidence of the disease, Terry said. The program invites men to community forums where they can learn about options for cancer screening and treatment.
"It’s hard enough to talk about cancer, but it’s harder for men to talk about cancer, let alone prostate cancer," Terry said.
Wilson was diagnosed with cancer in April 2002. Last June, she resigned from Dixon House and as coordinator of Camp Unami, which took groups of kids from the city to Lansdale for seven weeks every summer. She underwent surgery in July.
Wilson began chemo in October, going once a week for three weeks followed by a week off, most times accompanied by her nephew, Mike Carter, who would sit with her while the treatment was pumped intravenously into her breast. She received her last treatment May 9.
She said she fared well with the chemo, although she lost her trademark dreadlocks that used to reach the middle of her back. But she only got sick after the early treatments, and credits her new diet for keeping her body strong and her attitude positive.
Now she hopes to become a neighborhood resource for cancer information and a support person for people diagnosed with the disease. Wilson has already requested literature from the American Cancer Society, and she is considering contacting a local food bank to see if she can arrange for cancer-healthy meals to be delivered to needy persons undergoing chemotherapy.
Most importantly, Wilson wants to establish what she calls "chat and chews" at neighborhood community centers and churches where cancer patients and their families can talk to one another about the disease.
Attitudes must change before real progress can be made in fighting the disease, Wilson said.
"Some people think [cancer] is the end of the world," she said. "It’s not, it’s actually the beginning."
Passing the baton to South Philly
For the first time, the American Cancer Society will host a Relay for Life event in South Philadelphia.
The 24-hour fundraiser will take place at the track at 12th and Bigler streets starting at noon June 6 and finishing at noon the following day.
The relay will begin with a lap around the track by cancer survivors, followed by a lap by caregivers. Teams of eight-12 people also will participate, with members taking turns circling the course for the duration of the event.
At 9 p.m., a candlelight Luminaria Ceremony will take place, illuminating the track in honor of those who have died of cancer and those fighting the disease. The event also will feature live entertainment, food and booths distributing information about cancer.
"It is a chance to remember those that lost battles and also to remember those who are survivors," said Gene Terry, spokesperson for the society.
The fundraising goal for the event is $15,000, he said.
More than 3,300 communities around the country participate in Relay for Life events, including 19 in the five-county Greater Philadelphia area.
Last year, the efforts raised $240 million for research, advocacy and patient services, making it the society’s strongest fundraiser. The American Cancer Society has raised more than $2 billion for cancer research since 1946, making it one of the largest nonprofit contributors to scientists studying the disease.
For more information about participating in the relay or making a contribution, contact Celia Moreton at 215-985-5313 or cmoreton@cancer.org.
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–By R. Jonathan Tuleya
