Mrs. Horn and Mrs. Jarjoura were two very brave innovators who both eventually lost their battles with aggressive cancer. However, we must be clear in the fact that history does not repeat itself, this is simply an assumption based on opinion. What is a factual claim, is that trends do repeat themselves if we fail to learn from history.
Based on that claim, if we do not learn from the courage these women showed in the face of death with all odds against them, to make a choice not to give up after being removed from the only two treatment options made available to them, yet decided to take advantage of additional options of treatment that were later discovered that had not been made available to them from the beginning of their illness. They were not afforded these choices until the only option left was death.
No one can claim that treatment of any sort can cure cancer in an absolute sense, however, the claim can be made that people suffering with cancer have the right to all available options.
Who should decide what the correct options for an individual are?
It would seem that the right belongs to the individual to have all available options to choose from made available in order to maintain an individual decision with the greatest amount of information provided.
The story as told by Nadia Jarjoura's daughter Michelle, is below, providing insight into the events, that in turn, inspired the creation of an immortal inspiration we call The
Queen of Fine Cuisine Cancer Corporation.
Based on that claim, if we do not learn from the courage these women showed in the face of death with all odds against them, to make a choice not to give up after being removed from the only two treatment options made available to them, yet decided to take advantage of additional options of treatment that were later discovered that had not been made available to them from the beginning of their illness. They were not afforded these choices until the only option left was death.
No one can claim that treatment of any sort can cure cancer in an absolute sense, however, the claim can be made that people suffering with cancer have the right to all available options.
Who should decide what the correct options for an individual are?
It would seem that the right belongs to the individual to have all available options to choose from made available in order to maintain an individual decision with the greatest amount of information provided.
The story as told by Nadia Jarjoura's daughter Michelle, is below, providing insight into the events, that in turn, inspired the creation of an immortal inspiration we call The
Queen of Fine Cuisine Cancer Corporation.
Basha Mediterranean Cuisine
By Michelle Jarjoura
Her dream became a reality when she bought Basha Mediterranean Cuisine where she served astonishingly authentic Lebanese cuisine. After 5 years she wanted to relocate and give it more of a homey feeling. She closed the restaurant down with plans to be in a bigger and better location. Despite many hurdles she did it with a lot of hard work and the new location finally reopened. A few weeks into the new business (March 28, 2009) she walks into Basha with her shoes half on and dragging her purse on the ground. Then a few minutes later she was complaining of pressure in her head.
“Something’s wrong here, could she be having a stroke?”
She was immediately rushed to the hospital. After a day of testing and scans the results came back showing mass tumors in her uterus and in her brain. She was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer.
The doctors didn’t want to waste any time and they wanted to remove the two tumors immediately. She first had a craniotomy removing the tumor from her brain. She recovered very well from the surgery and after a few weeks she had a total hysterectomy. During the hysterectomy they discovered that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
“Now what? What’s the next step?”
The doctors’ options were chemotherapy and radiation. She followed their orders and went through 5 weeks of radiation and 3 weeks of chemotherapy. She had a MRI on a Thursday and the following Tuesday she had an appointment to get the results. That Saturday she was very weak and started vomiting for the first time.
“It must be normal,
because chemotherapy does that to you, right”
we thought.
The next day she was feeling better but still very fatigued and tired. On Monday she didn't even get out of bed. The pressure she felt in her head was so unbearable she was unable to lift her head.
I remember she called me on my cell around 6:30PM and when I answered she was quiet. I asked,
“What’s wrong Mom?”
and her response was
“Nothing,
I just woke up and I just wanted to talk to you.”
That phone call worried me and I felt something was wrong with her. Well the next day, that Tuesday, was her doctor’s appointment at 10:00am. I wake her up to get ready and 15 minutes later I go to check on her and see her sitting in bed staring.
“Mom, we are going to be late. Let’s go!”
She looked at me and looked confused. After an hour of trying to get her ready I got her in the car and took her to the hospital.
“Could she be having a stroke?”
We get to the hospital and of course they start running test on her and a few hours later the results came back. Mary, my older sister called me and said,
“Michelle, 8 lesions showed up on the CAT scan and MRI. There’s nothing they could do for her anymore.”
That was the worst news I’ve ever got. The doctors were saying there’s nothing they could do to save My Mom.
“How is that possible when she did everything they told her to do?”
I thought.
She suffered through radiation, and then through chemotherapy, and for what? I was so full of all kinds of emotions that words cannot explain.
3 weeks – 4 months tops for her to live.
My world seemed to be turning in all sorts of directions until the day Shane (my boyfriend) came running into Basha with great news. He called Dan Horn to ask how his mom was doing (expecting to hear she passed and offer his condolences) because she too was given no hope and 3 weeks to live. Well, guess what Dan said,
“She’s doing great!”
“Something’s wrong here, could she be having a stroke?”
She was immediately rushed to the hospital. After a day of testing and scans the results came back showing mass tumors in her uterus and in her brain. She was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer.
The doctors didn’t want to waste any time and they wanted to remove the two tumors immediately. She first had a craniotomy removing the tumor from her brain. She recovered very well from the surgery and after a few weeks she had a total hysterectomy. During the hysterectomy they discovered that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
“Now what? What’s the next step?”
The doctors’ options were chemotherapy and radiation. She followed their orders and went through 5 weeks of radiation and 3 weeks of chemotherapy. She had a MRI on a Thursday and the following Tuesday she had an appointment to get the results. That Saturday she was very weak and started vomiting for the first time.
“It must be normal,
because chemotherapy does that to you, right”
we thought.
The next day she was feeling better but still very fatigued and tired. On Monday she didn't even get out of bed. The pressure she felt in her head was so unbearable she was unable to lift her head.
I remember she called me on my cell around 6:30PM and when I answered she was quiet. I asked,
“What’s wrong Mom?”
and her response was
“Nothing,
I just woke up and I just wanted to talk to you.”
That phone call worried me and I felt something was wrong with her. Well the next day, that Tuesday, was her doctor’s appointment at 10:00am. I wake her up to get ready and 15 minutes later I go to check on her and see her sitting in bed staring.
“Mom, we are going to be late. Let’s go!”
She looked at me and looked confused. After an hour of trying to get her ready I got her in the car and took her to the hospital.
“Could she be having a stroke?”
We get to the hospital and of course they start running test on her and a few hours later the results came back. Mary, my older sister called me and said,
“Michelle, 8 lesions showed up on the CAT scan and MRI. There’s nothing they could do for her anymore.”
That was the worst news I’ve ever got. The doctors were saying there’s nothing they could do to save My Mom.
“How is that possible when she did everything they told her to do?”
I thought.
She suffered through radiation, and then through chemotherapy, and for what? I was so full of all kinds of emotions that words cannot explain.
3 weeks – 4 months tops for her to live.
My world seemed to be turning in all sorts of directions until the day Shane (my boyfriend) came running into Basha with great news. He called Dan Horn to ask how his mom was doing (expecting to hear she passed and offer his condolences) because she too was given no hope and 3 weeks to live. Well, guess what Dan said,
“She’s doing great!”
