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Mainers
for Medical Rights
44 Exchange Street
Suite 201
Portland, ME 04101
800.846.1039
207.780.0704
info@mainers.org
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Anne Larrivee
Former State Legislator (Dist. 36-Gorham)
Belgrade
In her own words:
"On February 15th 1993, I sat in the conference room of a high risk
pregnancy OB/GYN with my pregnant daughter and heard what no parent should
ever have to hear -- that their child has cancer. (I'll tell you here that
the child was 27, but as a mother she'll always be my child.) The weeks
that ensued, my grandson's premature c-section birth, my daughter Susan's
extensive surgery to remove the 25 lb. tumor and the stark realization of
the seriousness of an infant in the NNIC, the invasion of an aggressive
ovarian cancer in my child, were the darkest and most hideous time of my life.
Medical science has brought us all a long way - the skill of the surgeon
saved her life -- the 26 pints of blood she received were from healthy
donors -- the IC saved an infant who would have not survived just a few
years ago -- and the knowledge of the gynecological oncologist started her
on a path of recovery, but not without a price.
The price for this hope of recovery is a treatment as aggressive as the
disease. After Josh was delivered Susan was hospitalized for two weeks and
just as soon as her sizable scar was partially healed she began a treatment
regimen that could only be described as torture. For each treatment (16
days apart) she was hospitalized for 5 days with 3 aggressive IV drugs
running all that time. At the end of her treatments the veins in her hands
and arms were as hard rope, the platinum had poisoned her nervous system so
that she had no feeling in her hands and feet (she couldn't even feel the
baby's soft skin.) She lost all her long blond hair, her white cell count
dropped to 14, her skin felt like onion skin paper. And the nausea I won't
try to describe. It set on her days before each treatment, it was
excruciating during her hospital stay, and it dragged on after each
treatment at the sight or smell of almost any food. And at the sight of any
medical equipment -- and intermediate visit to the doctor's office was a
nightmare for her. I pray that none of you ever have to watch someone you
love go through this.
Susan had various drugs prescribed for the nausea -- most of them had as a
side effect diarrhea. She was particularly sensitive to them and I don't
need to tell you that the last thing someone violently nauseous with barely
enough strength to crawl to the bathroom needs is diarrhea. Oh course, the
treatment regimen calls for nourishing food and plenty of fluids just to
withstand the treatment itself say nothing of healing from scars and
surgery.
As a family we decided she should try marijuana -- anything so she could
keep a little soup down or a little juice. We had to decide who in the
family could risk possible arrest or a criminal record. Her husband, a
machinist at BIW, couldn't risk it -- they have very strict rules-- his job
and consequently their health insurance would have been gone in a heartbeat.
Her brother, a biomedical researcher, has been working on long term research
projects with genetic markers for Downs Syndrome, etc. He couldn't very
well jeopardize the entire project with that stigma. My job as a state
legislator doesn't lend itself well to illegal activity. We are expected to
meet a higher standard than other citizens. My husband, her father,
however, is self-employed. No boss to fire him, no insurance to lose,
nothing to lose but a clean record and an upstanding life.
People shouldn't have to make those kinds of decisions just to help someone
as sick as that child was.
The marijuana was not a cure-all, she did not miraculously gain strength
and vigor, but she could at those times eat some food and I'm not sure how
she could have survived the treatment without nourishment.
I don't take the podium lightly today -- her story is painful to re-live
and we all in the family have chosen to put it behind us in the joy we share
in our healthy grandson, and in her complete remission. However, if one
other family doesn't have to go through even any small part of what we did
because this treatment-- marijuana-- is made available, it will have been
worth our efforts today.
"
-- Anne Larrivee
Belgrade, Maine
Testimony to the Maine Legislature
(Posted with her permission.)
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