April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
SARATOGA FAMILY'S STORY
Cancer diagnosis came during Lent
Lung cancer hits non-smokers, too
Cancer diagnosis came during Lent
Ms. Greco, who is an attorney with McGlinchey Stafford in Albany, and her oldest son, Rhys, were on the way home from a ski lesson when they got into a bizarre car accident: Their minivan collided with a car driving on the wrong side of the road. Although everyone walked away from the accident without major injuries, the ultrasound trauma scans at the hospital emergency room showed a four-centimeter mass in Ms. Greco's lung.
Several doctor's visits and scans later, at the beginning of Lent, Ms. Greco found out that she has stage 3A lung cancer, with a survival rate of 14 percent. She began treatment during Holy Week of 2015.
"It was the heaviest Lent I've ever had," said her husband, Tillman Nechtman, history department chair at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs and former chair of the pastoral council at St. Peter's parish in Saratoga. He said he still feels goosebumps when he thinks about the timing of his wife's diagnosis.
The day of the accident, the couple said, one of the readings at Mass was from the book of Job. Job's faith was tested when afflicted with suffering and catastrophes until, finally, God gave him even more than what he had lost.
"Hopefully, we will have a happy ending like Job," Dr. Nechtman told The Evangelist.
Spread the word
Now, only a few months after finishing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to remove the mass, Ms. Greco is having PET scans every three months to check on her condition -- and is looking to share her story.
The 40-year-old mom of two has never smoked, but that doesn't stop friends and even doctors from asking her about smoking as soon as they hear about her condition.
"Our society has created this stigma that you can't get lung cancer if you don't smoke," she told The Evangelist.
However, according to the LUNGevity Foundation, a national non-profit organization focused on cancer, about 60 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer have never picked up a cigarette. The lack of knowledge about this can often lead to non-smokers being misdiagnosed until their cancer has gotten too severe to treat.
For this reason, the family is thankful for the accident. Dr. Nechtman even refers to it as "a day where God touched us."
No one should have
One of Ms. Greco's college roommates is a doctor who performs surgeries similar to the one Ms. Greco underwent to remove the mass in her lung. But, when Ms. Greco told her friend about the cancer, the physician was incredulous. Ms. Greco and her husband said that no one deserves to get lung cancer, regardless of whether they are smokers.
Some of Ms. Greco's friends also struggle with the fact that she is so young - something that she has a hard time with, too.
"What's not fair and I can't get my head around is, [if I pass,] my kids will grow up without a mom," she said through tears. "I have to win for them. That's what gives me strength."
The couple's two sons, Rhys, age six, and Fletcher, age three, have also lived through a year of their mother having cancer. Spending more time with their grandparents -- something Dr. Nechtman said was a rarity "B.C." (before cancer) -- has made the family closer.
Kids' views
Fletcher, who goes to Greenberg Child Care Center in Saratoga Springs, even did a report to his day care about lung cancer, using picture flashcards he assembled because he can't read yet.
"Fletcher is more empathetic," noted Dr. Nechtman. His youngest son wasn't fazed when his wife lost her hair to chemotherapy, though "I think Rhys was embarrassed," Ms. Greco added.
Rhys, who attends St. Clement's School in Saratoga, has been having a harder time with his mom's cancer. His parents noted that, when the mother in the popular movie "Guardians of the Galaxy" dies of what appears to be cancer, their son was quite upset.
Originally, Ms. Greco and Dr. Nechtman told their children that their mom had a "cootie in her lungs." Fletcher accepted this, simply asking when it would be gone. Rhys, though, quickly realized the "cootie" might be something else.
"We were working on a Lego project," recalled Dr. Nechtman, when Rhys' awareness became apparent. Slowly, the father described to his son what was going on.
"The whole time, he was telling me to not look at him and to keep building" with the Legos, Dr. Nechtman said.
Faith and future
Both parents say that this experience has not been easy for the family, or their faith.
"It's a little difficult to accept the prayers of others," said Ms. Greco. Realizing her and her family were the "ones in need" was not an easy process: "Strangers have come up to me, saying they are thinking about me."
Dr. Nechtman bought a bulk supply of prayer cards featruing St. Peregrine, the patron saint of people suffering from cancer. "I carry them with me and hand them out to whoever wants one," he told The Evangelist.
For now, Ms. Greco is cancer-free. However, it's likely that the cancer will recur within the next few years.
Because of how few people survive lung cancer, Ms. Greco and her family believe that it is their mission to spread awareness about the disease.
"The stigma must go away," said Dr. Nechtman.
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