Cancer patients focus on family, hope at Christmas

Jody Burke of Crest Hill wants to eat a traditional Christmas dinner this year.

But that’s a lofty wish for the 40-year-old single mom of two boys. Burke was diagnosed with a rare cancer in October and – despite anti-nausea medication – chemotherapy is “brutal.”

“I’m hoping I can actually eat dinner,” Burke said. “I don’t want it to be a Jell-o and mashed potato day.”

Claudia Munoz, 67, of Joliet, just wants to decorate her home the way she did every year.

“I enjoyed my big tree,” Munoz said. “I enjoyed making the whole house festive.”

“I just try to enjoy my family a little more. You realize when you have cancer that you won’t be around them forever. I want them to have good memories of me. I don’t want them remembering me laying in bed. I want them to remember me being up and smiling. So I smile as much as I can.”

—  Claudia Munoz of Joliet, metastatic breast cancer patient

The busyness of the holidays stresses many people. But adding cancer to that list makes the challenges seem insurmountable.

Getting through the holidays

Angie Caldwell, president of Pink Heals Joliet Area Chapter, said cancer plus the holidays can hit women particularly hard since they often feel responsible for everyone’s well-being.

“I can’t even imagine what the holidays are like when you’re battling cancer and trying to stay positive while trying to do the best for your family,” Caldwell said and later added, “They almost sacrifice their own health to make sure everyone else is taken care of.”

[  Joliet’s Hawk Volkswagen partners with Pink Heals to help families facing serious illness ]

Pink Heals relieves some of that holiday stress through its partnership with Hawk Volkswagen in Joliet, which helps provide Thanksgiving and Christmas meals for families – not just women with breast cancer – who are struggling with any serious health issue, Caldwell said.

“They won’t have to figure out what to make for their holiday meal or gifts for their kids,” Caldwell said.

Battling cancer as a single parent

Burke’s cancer wasn’t immediately obvious. She was diagnosed with Lyme Disease nearly three years ago, she said. Soon afterward she developed leg pain near her hip. Tests didn’t reveal a cause, so her doctors attributed it to Lyme Disease, she said.

In the meantime, Burke’s life revolved around work – she’s the director of Little Learner Children’s Academy in Yorkville – and her son’s baseball schedules.

Until Oct. 13, when she was driving home from Yorkville and her leg pain grew unbearable, she said. She went to bed early, but the pain wouldn’t subside. So she packed up her sons, Blake, 12, and Andrew, 10, and headed for the emergency department.

This time, scans showed a rare cancer: synovial sarcoma, which is found in the soft tissues near joints. In Burke’s case, the cancer goes from the top of her thigh to her knee, she said.

“I was in shock,” Burke said. “I’m still in shock.”

Burke is now receiving alternating weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, with the goal of surgically removing the tumor in late February. Doctors said as cancer treatment shrinks her tumor, the pain should diminish. For now, pain medication helps, she said.

But the chemotherapy is “horrible,” she said.

“I was so sick last time,” Burke said. “They told me 1% of people get the symptoms I have. I’m getting a lower dosage this time and came in an extra day to spread it out more.”

Burke is tolerating radiation, which has no symptoms except for some tingling, she said.

“I can deal with that,” Burke said.

Several organizations and one anonymous person are working with Santa to ensure Burke’s sons have presents for Christmas, which makes her happy, she said.

Another friend started a GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/f/jody-burke-cancer-donations.

Still, the fact that “Christmas looks a bit different this year” is also making her sad, she said.

“It’s hard for me. I’m used to doing the giving,” Burke said. “If people needed money, they came to me. I’m used to doing the community events, like helping children … this is very surreal.”

Burke longs to engage in “normal” holiday activities.

“But you can’t do those normal traditions,” Burke said. “You’re surrounded by people – but alone in your own thoughts.”

Staying positive

That’s exactly how Claudia Munoz of Joliet feels. Munoz was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2011, while her husband was recovering from a motorcycle accident shortly before the stillbirth of her first grandchild.

After a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, Munoz took anastrozole to decrease the amount of estrogen in her body. She completed the medication in January 2020, she said.

“And I was metastatic by July 2022,” Munoz said. “I was in the hospital the whole weekend and missed my 50th high school reunion.”

Munoz said she had a kyphoplasty procedure where tumors had fractured her spine. This was an injection of a special cement into her vertebrae to stabilize the area. But the cancer still causes bone pain, she said.

She also had five lesions in her liver. But treatment eliminated most of those, except one, which has shrunk, Munoz said. Because she’s immunocompromised, Munoz has a higher risk of complications from respiratory viruses so she tries to avoid crowds, she said.

“I used to love shopping for all the grandkids for Christmas,” Muno said. “Now, I go to one or two stores and I’m tired so I have to come home. I go online shopping but for me, it’s not the same. I like to pick it up, look at it, feel it.”

Munoz said she gives more cash and gift cards now.

“A lot of my grandchildren are older now. They don’t mind the gift cards and the cash anyway,” Munoz said. “But I like to shop for people.”

Despite precautions, Munoz caught COVID-19 over Thanksgiving and missed traveling out-of-town to see her grandchildren. She’s hoping to visit in January.

“I just try to enjoy my family a little more,” Muno said. “You realize when you have cancer that you won’t be around them forever. I want them to have good memories of me. I don’t want them remembering me laying in bed. I want them to remember me being up and smiling. So I smile as much as I can.”