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    Marlene, radiography of a drama: Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim
    Marlene, radiography of a drama: Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim
    Marlene, radiography of a drama: Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim
    Ebook162 pages2 hours

    Marlene, radiography of a drama: Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim

    By Adrian Catana

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    About this ebook

    Life plays tricks on us many times and we only understand much later (quite often too late) fragments of the messages we had received earlier in our existence. We must always learn from our and others’ experiences, even from the unfortunate ones.


    Before he became our friend „Adi“, Adrian was (and still is) a man full of humor and innovative ideas who had found us and had invited us into his charming Jiu Valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains, in Transylvania - Romania, in a mining area devastated by unemployment and economic crisis. His brilliant idea was for us to build an adventure park, as we had been the first to implement this exotic idea in this country. Excited by the project which should be connected with an interactive mining museum, engaged in enthusiastic conversations, and getting closer, we became friends.


    The park project never saw daylight, even if it was fairly advanced. But we gained the trust and sympathy of the lovely couple made by him and his wife Marlene – on her real name - Marilena.


    During one of our business trips in the Jiu Valley related to the park project, we had the opportunity to meet Marilena once, before the slightest hint of the horrible and quick disease that finally took her life away gave the slightest hint.


    Later the imperatives of existence separated us from their couple. When in 2012 we found out about the death of this woman of our own age, we were profoundly shocked and sad. Adi sent us the manuscript that you are about to read: a shocking and moving testimony which tells the story of the „radiography of a drama“- the last year of Marilena’s life, who some people called Marlene. She was a woman full of life who left us too early, defeated by a disease which does not forgive negligence, does not take into account love, despair or even the willingness to go on living and sharing a quiet and happy couple life similar to the one Adi and Marilena had in a small town in Romania, Petroșani.


    This book is more than a moving confession of a drama lived by both of them, in the intimacy of a couple violated by such a hard experience, of an irreplaceable loss, of a liberating gesture to register everything in writing, a traumatic experience both for the cancer victim and for her companion, but it is above all a distress signal addressed to women, parents, girls, wives and loved ones who do not wish to live through such a nightmare. As a matter of fact, the disease that took Marlene so quickly can be treated if discovered in its early stages. A regular check up and a very simple test allow the detection in due time of the pre-cancerous cells and their treatment.


    In order to go on... living.


    By this sincere and sad chronicle where humor is not a miss, Adi wanted to pay a unique homage to his wife, to give her a gift that exceeds time and space, showing her his deep love, and at the same time trying to spare the life of other women and of their entourage to live such dramas. In my opinion, it is the most beautiful lesson of humanity and love that can be taught from such a mournful experience.


    It is the same prophylactic endeavor to avoid such a disease, to give life and love a chance that made me conceive my little notebook «Mon carnet féminin intime», (published in several languages), which, if you are a woman, might help you remember to take care of yourselves. And if you have a daughter, this booklet might help you teach her the importance of this information and to create her healthy reflexes to maybe save her life.


    As a companion of a cancer victim you must never get discouraged, you must forge in yourselves this resilience which will humanize and transcend the disease, even as a last adventure as a couple. Thus you will be able to show your most profound, human, beautiful

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCristina & Olivier Rebiere
    Release dateJun 9, 2019
    Marlene, radiography of a drama: Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim

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      Book preview

      Marlene, radiography of a drama - Adrian Catana

      Marlene, radiography of a drama

      Journal of my survival as companion of a cervical cancer’s victim

      Adrian Catană

      The dough of my existence is tempered with a problem. Damn problem: it grabs me with both hands, raises my consciousness and then, suddenly, shoves it into my brain, meticulously pinching every chord. With its fists, it kneads my every neuron, hoping that in the end the cake of the solution filled with ideas and hopes will raise.

      IN MEMORIAM

      Marilena Catană

      - English, version 1 -

      Publishers:Cristina & Olivier Rebière

      Translation: Cristina Osvath, Cristina Rebière

      © Adrian Catană, Cristina & Olivier Rebière. All rights reserved.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Foreword

      1. Holidays

      2. The consultation

      3. The surgery

      4. Chemotherapy

      5. Another surgery

      6. Chemotherapy - continuation

      7. Radiotherapy

      8. Vitamin B17, psychotherapy and new complications

      9. Once again on the operating table

      10. Back home again

      Epilogue

      Recueil lyrique de Marlene

      Le mot de l’Auteur

      Éditeurs

      Foreword

      Life plays tricks on us many times and we only understand much later (quite often too late) fragments of the messages we had received earlier in our existence. We must always learn from our and others’ experiences, even from the unfortunate ones ...

      Before he became our friend „Adi", Adrian was (and still is) a man full of humor and innovative ideas who had found us and had invited us into his charming Jiu Valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains, in Transylvania - Romania, in a mining area devastated by unemployment and economic crisis. His brilliant idea was for us to build an adventure park, as we had been the first to implement this exotic idea in this country. Excited by the project which should be connected with an interactive mining museum, engaged in enthusiastic conversations, and getting closer, we became friends.

      The park project never saw daylight, even if it was fairly advanced. But we gained the trust and sympathy of the lovely couple made by him and his wife Marlene – on her real name - Marilena.

      During one of our business trips in the Jiu Valley related to the park project, we had the opportunity to meet Marilena once, before the slightest hint of the horrible and quick disease that finally took her life away gave the slightest hint.

      Later the imperatives of existence separated us from their couple. When in 2012 we found out about the death of this woman of our own age, we were profoundly shocked and sad. Adi sent us the manuscript that you are about to read: a shocking and moving testimony which tells the story of the „radiography of a drama"- the last year of Marilena’s life, who some people called Marlene. She was a woman full of life who left us too early, defeated by a disease which does not forgive negligence, does not take into account love, despair or even the willingness to go on living and sharing a quiet and happy couple life similar to the one Adi and Marilena had in a small town in Romania, Petroșani. It is a little town where, by coincidence or not, I lived many happy moments in my childhood with my dear grandfather, who was also taken too early from us when I was merely 12.

      Adrian has a talent for writing and I shall translate his accurate confession of what he went through and of what happened. I admit than when he shared his journal with me, I have not started yet to publish books and I had been unable to spread his message in accordance with its importance. Several years later I thought of doing it and I suggested republishing his book. He was kind enough to accept. Not for himself, but as he explains, for the tragedy lived by his wife to save at least one woman.

      This book is more than a moving confession of a drama lived by both of them, in the intimacy of a couple violated by such a hard experience, of an irreplaceable loss, of a liberating gesture to register everything in writing, a traumatic experience both for the cancer victim and for her companion, but it is above all a distress signal addressed to women, parents, girls, wives and loved ones who do not wish to live through such a nightmare. As a matter of fact, the disease that took Marlene so quickly can be treated if discovered in its early stages. A regular check up and a very simple test allow the detection in due time of the pre-cancerous cells and their treatment.

      In order to go on... living.

      Like Marilena, I had not been educated to regularly go to the gynecologist or to have the Papanicolau test every year. Even worse: I had always been terrified by this, considering that it was not necessary when there were no symptoms. Nevertheless, after reading this book, I admit that I overcame my reluctance and prejudices and made an appointment with a gynecologist. Not because I am afraid of dying, nor because I had any symptoms, but because I believe that it is important to take care of us and to prevent such traumas from happening to our bodies to our loved ones unnecessarily. I am convinced that Marlene would have done the same thing, had she has the chance to read such a confession before her illness.

      She did not have such a chance.

      But YOU DO... have this chance at your disposal, just in your hands.

      It is important to know that this disease, cervical cancer, is the second most frequent cancer in women all over the world and it can be easily avoided.

      By this sincere and sad chronicle where humor is not a miss, Adi wanted to pay a unique homage to his wife, to give her a gift that exceeds time and space, showing her his deep love, and at the same time trying to spare the life of other women and of their entourage to live such dramas. In my opinion, it is the most beautiful lesson of humanity and love that can be taught from such a mournful experience.

      It is the same prophylactic endeavor to avoid such a disease, to give life and love a chance that made me conceive my little notebook « Mon carnet féminin intime »(published in several languages), which, if you are a woman, might help you remember to take care of yourselves. And if you have a daughter, this booklet might help you teach her the importance of this information and to create her healthy reflexes to maybe save her life.

      Today Adrian is still full of humor and innovative ideas (such as writing other books to share his experiences which we shall publish shortly), in spite of this tragedy which lead to the birth of this book meant to be a chronicle, a raw, clear and... inspiring confession of confronting the implacable adversity. He chose a positive, constructive attitude to the end. He survived, as you will if, by negligence or bad luck, you will find yourselves in this kind of awful situation. I am convinced of one thing: "we cannot always choose the events arriving in our lives, but we can always choose our attitude towards them".

      And this is something you should remember: as a companion of a cancer victim you must never get discouraged, you must forge in yourselves this resilience which will humanize and transcend the disease, even as a last adventure as a couple. Thus you will be able to show your most profound, human, beautiful love: the one that consists of not uselessly adding your unhappiness to the victim’s suffering in order to truly help him/her, with all your heart and from the bottom of your heart.

      Hoping that his message and his cry of despair will be heard,

      Cristina & Olivier Rebière

      1. Holidays

      2011. The beginning of spring.

      Along with the first warmer days our thoughts rush towards the holiday. Each of us dreams about what we would like to do, where we would like to go. For years Marilena dreams to visit Paris. Although it is unlikely we can afford a holiday in Paris, we begin to discuss about it. If we are to go, should we go by car at our own expense or should we go on a package tour?

      I retreat to the bathroom, my „smoking quarters". While having a cigarette matched with a little glass of tuica¹, I begin weighing up what I would like. On one hand the seaside. To lay on a chaise longue, necessarily in the shade, with my T-shirt on, a glass of fresh beer next to me, solving Sudoku grids. It could sound strange, that I love the seaside, but I hate sunbathing. At the same time, a long drive sounds quite tempting. After lying on the beach in the shade + beer + Sudoku and, from time to time, a sea bath, the only thing that would arouse my interest would be a long drive to see new places. There is also the package tour option, by bus. No, out of question! I hate to depend on a fixed schedule, on other people’s moods. Well, my cigarette is already finished.

      In the living room, Marilena is already browsing through the offers on the Internet. She found some interesting options. All are package tours by bus. Anyway, there is plenty of time... No need to make a decision right away.

      Several days later, a banal conversation with the neighbor turns into a long story. The latter had been a year earlier in a trip in Paris organized by the Roman Catholic Parish at a very convenient price. But she had been very disappointed. She had some arguments that convinced us to leave the holidays in Paris on the list, but not in a priority position...

      Marilena remembers that during her research on the Internet she found some interesting proposals for travel to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A tour of medieval castles. By bus. Obviously, she does not like the car. Especially on long trips. Although her parents had a car and she had already gone during her childhood in many car trips both abroad and across the country. We also traveled a lot together, but when it is possible, she prefers to avoid traveling by car. She gets carsick on winding roads. On top of that, after many hours spent in the car, she complains of back pain.

      So, back to the medieval castles. Bingo, I found a common denominator. No matter by car or bus, let's see the details. I say to myself silently that the most important thing is to capture her interest. That we make a decision irrevocably, because then I could convince her that it's better to travel by car...

      After a month of discussions, plans and calculations, we reached the conclusion that, with my wife’s holiday vouchers (1500 lei - less than 400 euros), we are going on holiday somewhere in the country this year as well. The tour of the castles certainly remains on the list of our priorities. We shall see for when.

      If it

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