Pam Jesse celebrates three birthdays every year: her original birthday on July 24, the day she got her first bone marrow transplant on Oct.

Saturday, March 09, 2002

Pam Jesse celebrates three birthdays every year: her original birthday on July 24, the day she got her first bone marrow transplant on Oct. 22 four years ago, and the day she got her second transplant last year on July 5.

The Albert Lea woman was originally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in January 1980. Her children were ages 6 and 9, and she was told she probably didn’t have long to live.

Jesse had actually found some lumps two years before she was diagnosed. &uot;The doctors at my routine checkups passed it off,&uot; she recalled, adding that three months before she was diagnosed, treatment preferences changed, and she was fortunate to be able to take advantage of the latest treatments.

&uot;I think that was God’s plan,&uot; she added.

She underwent chemotherapy and went into remission. &uot;Within five years, I was re-diagnosed and had more chemotherapy,&uot; Jesse said.

That time, a case of the shingles threw off her immune system and put her into remission for nine years.

&uot;God chose to step in, and because of that, I was able to raise my children to adulthood and see them married. I now have a grandson,&uot; she added.

Having cancer has enabled Jesse to refocus her life. &uot;I’ve been blessed in many ways,&uot; she said, adding, &uot;Every day is precious.&uot;

In that way, Jesse said, cancer has not been a horrible thing for her. &uot;So much good has come out of it,&uot; she said. &uot;Relationships that had drifted have pulled together and become stronger, and I really value my faith. He (God) has gotten me through a lot.&uot;

She was diagnosed for a third time in 1994, and four years ago, underwent her first stem cell transplant. After receiving growth factor shots, Jesse was hooked up to a machine and her stem cells removed. It was a four-hour process each day for four or five days. The cells were then cleaned, preserved and frozen.

She then received chemotherapy for five days, rested, then was given her stem cells back. When they began to in-graft, they started producing blood.

In January 2001, she was again diagnosed, and doctors decided to again do a transplant.

&uot;The second time, they couldn’t get my body to release stem cells, so they had to go to my hip bones to extract the bone marrow,&uot; Jesse said.

She spent three months at the Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester, The bone marrow refused to in-graft, and she was sent home and arrangements made for her to have transfusions in Albert Lea.

&uot;I got the shingles again,&uot; she said. Once again, the shingles threw off her immune system, and once again, she was on the road to remission.

&uot;No one’s ever been happier to get shingles than me,&uot; Jesse said.

Since that initial diagnosis, she’s had seven different series of chemotherapy treatments and two transplants.

She is also grateful for the gift of 22 years of life after the first time she was diagnosed. &uot;Cancer isn’t a hopeless disease anymore,&uot; Jesse said. &uot;It lasts longer than a cold, and it takes its toll, but it’s not a death sentence necessarily.&uot;

She gives a lot of the credit to having faith. &uot;God has been a big influence,&uot; Jesse said.

&uot;If I didn’t have my faith, I don’t think I’d be here. I have friends praying for me. I think that has a lot to do with it.&uot;

Jesse said she makes a lot of crafts, which is her therapy. She sews, knits and crochets. It will be some time before she is able to get back to work.

But people are what she values most. &uot;There are so many people who have made a difference in my life. In the tough times, I’d like to give that back,&uot; she added.

She enjoys getting out to visiting, calling or at the least sending cards to those she knows are not feeling well. &uot;I never would have done that before I had cancer,&uot; she said.

Even with the recurring bouts of cancer, Jesse has continued to maintain a positive attitude. &uot;A person can either be positive or negative,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ve always been fortunate that I’ve been able to see the positive.&uot;

There’s a reason for it, she’s sure. &uot;God’s left me here because he’s got a plan,&uot; Jesse said. &uot;I can’t wait to see what he has in store for me.&uot;