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Doctors thought a tapeworm infection had caused the seizure two Aprils ago.
But that couldn't be what had befallen Carol Smiarowski. She'd never stepped foot in a Third World country, so it's unlikely she had cysticercosis, which results from eating contaminated pork.
So there had to be something else.
A biopsy detected glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive and deadly brain tumor. It required surgery to remove as much of the growth as possible, followed by treatments of radiation and chemotherapy.
In July 2005, Smiarowski was treated at Duke University's renowned brain tumor center. Less than 48 hours after the surgery, she was released and allowed to return to her husband and son in Buford.
Today she has an MRI every two months and blood work every week. She's also part of a trial form of chemotherapy that's administered through pills.
"I seem to be doing well," said Smiarowski, an associate professor of dance at Brenau University in Gainesville.
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, says the survival rate for her type of cancer has remained the same for 30 years. Doctors have told Smiarowski that, within two years, it grows back 90 percent of the time. A two-year survivor is considered a long-term survivor. Some people live longer, though, and that's Smiarowski's aim.
"I have a young child to raise," she said, referring to Alec, a first-grader at Harmony Elementary in Gwinnett.
"I think I have processed the diagnosis of cancer. I didn't blame God but instead sought his support, and I very much believe that is what will pull me through. My habits have changed a bit. I get to bed earlier, trust in God, try not to let myself get stressed out about anything and make sure I am eating properly and getting exercise.
"Otherwise, I go on."
Last spring, her strength came back. She felt better, and she sought answers to spiritual questions:
Why did God allow her to live? What was his plan? And what was she supposed to do?
Answers came one day while reading an article in "Pathways," a newsletter of the Atlanta Diocese of the Episcopal Church. It was about a cancer support group that's met at a church in Dalton the past 13 years.
"My soul said, 'bingo,' " she said. "'This is what God has in mind for you. Form a support group.' "
So this avid reader and water-sports lover, who is in her late 40s, plans to start one for brain tumor survivors.
The group doesn't have a name. Nor does it have a specific purpose, other than for participants to connect with those traveling the same road of recovery and remission.
"I want us to feel like a family," Smiarowski said. "There also needs to be a quest for healing, and I think that might make a difference. I want the focus to be very positive."
The cancer support group will meet from 7-8 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary and St. Martha of Bethany, 3805 Braselton Highway, Buford. All faiths are welcome. An organizational meeting is set for Sept. 14. For more information, call Carol Smiarowski at 678-656-3437 or e-mail csmiarowski@att.net.
> Rick Badie's columns appear on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call him at 770-263-3875. Or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
