This article appeared in the July 2, 2003, edition of the Madison Park Times

Paula Gardiner found support and healing for breast cancer
Madison Park resident Paula Jones Gardiner combined her triumph over breast cancer, her passion for gardening and her love of poetry into a winning entry in King County Metro's "Poetry on Buses" program.

Gardiner's poem, "At the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center," is among 60 that were selected to be displayed throughout 2003 on the placards above the seats inside Metro buses. While her writing may help make the journeys of transit riders more enjoyable, it was Gardiner's journey through breast cancer that inspired her poetry.

An active and healthy professional woman, Gardiner was 46 years old when a mammogram and ultrasound confirmed a suspicious mass in her right breast in March 2002. Further testing showed that the cancer was advanced and had spread to her lymph nodes.

"Finding the best possible care for myself was paramount," she recalls. "I consulted with Dr. Ben Chue at the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center. Dr. Chue is progressive and innovative in his use of low-dose chemotherapy. Treatments are administered weekly instead of traditional high-dose treatments at three- to four-week intervals. Combined with the naturopathic care, acupuncture and Chinese medicine at the Cancer Center, I was able to continue my work as a psychotherapist, writing teacher and poet throughout my treatment."

She also found comfort in her passion for gardening. Her Madison Park home is lush with trees, shrubs and flowers and a special "healing symbol" provided by her gardener and friend, Shon Robinson.

"The day after I was diagnosed, I called to tell Shon. He came over right away with a new vignette of plants for a healing garden," Gardiner says. "When he arrived, I told him I also needed a healing symbol carved into the backyard lawn before he left that day. The same friend that accompanied me to the doctor's office earlier in the week stood beside me as we watched Shon carve a large spiral into the ground. She said, "?I feel as if I'm watching magic happen.' He later filled the spiral with red glass."

Soon after, Gardiner learned of Metro's "Poetry on Buses" program, which asked writers to spin a poetic tale of "unexpected turns," of losing or finding their way, or losing or finding a person, place or thing.

Impressed with the care she found at the Cancer Center, her winning poem embraced the hope and support she experienced throughout her journey:

At the Seattle Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center
Dr. Chue comes to work with an armful
of roses and swordfern,
soil in his cuffs.
I see sacred white elephants
on his tie, tell him about my Mohawk viburnum,
its magenta berries,
spicy white flowers.
As he kneels before the tumor
in my breast, he whispers,
"Shrink more, more, more."
I receive the blessing
of his healing waters.
As the tumor markers drop
he becomes my almanac,
healthy cells planted
under a new moon.

At the end of July last year, an MRI showed that Gardiner's tumor was reduced by 95 percent - an amazing response for Stage 3 breast cancer - allowing her to avoid surgery. She continued her integrated care at the Center and went through a round of radiation to eliminate the residual disease. Just last month, another MRI confirmed she was cancer free.

"I will always be grateful for the friends and family who helped me reach this goal," she says.

No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results.