By Nancy Eshelman
Cynthia Traini sticks with things. She’s lived in the same house in Harrisburg since 1989 and held the same job delivering Papa John’s pizzas for almost 18 years. Pizza delivery is quite a physical job, she said. In and out of the store, in and out of the car, up stairs, down stairs, carrying hot heavy boxes in all kinds of weather. She’s fallen. She’s been bitten by dogs. But she kept at it long enough to watch her customers’ kids grow up.
A couple of years ago, she had a mammogram. Something the doctor saw resulted in the suggestion of a biopsy. “I got scared, so I postponed it,” she said.
Then last fall she suffered back pain so severe, it sent her scrambling to the doctor. Another mammogram. A biopsy. Bad, bad news. Cynthia has breast cancer, and it has spread to her bones, liver, lungs, spine, ribs and head.
Black Friday 2019 is etched in her memory. “I just couldn’t hardly move,” she said. The pain was so intense she called a friend and asked for help feeding her five cats. She simply couldn’t get up and take care of her fur babies.
Physical pain can be compounded by emotional pain, Cynthia said. The physical pain forced her to quit her job. That brought on emotional pain caused by stress. What, she asked herself, is a 60-year-old woman who lives alone and supports herself supposed to do when she can’t work? How would she pay her bills? Would she lose her house? What would become of her?
“I would have had to live in a shoebox,” she said.
While she was in the hospital for radiation, a social worker came by with forms and files and pamphlets. She told Cynthia about Vickie’s Angels. She said they might help.
Cynthia applied to Vickie’s Angel Foundation. She also secured food stamps and help with heating bills. She requested Social Security disability and was approved. But those payments won’t start until June. Vickie’s Angel Foundation has been the bridge to take her through the intervening months.
“I don’t know what I would have done without Vickie’s Angels,” she said. “It’s been such a miracle for me.”
Modern medicine can offer miracles. Cynthia is following doctor’s orders. She’s feeling better. Her most recent tests show her tumors shrinking. “I can get out of bed, and I can walk now,” she said.
She gives some of the credit to Vickie’s Angel Foundation. The help the foundation provided removed the stress and worry that was hampering her recovery, she said. “Thanks to Vickie’s Angels, I can relax now,” she said.
Relaxing these days means a lot of TV viewing. Cynthia loves the old TV shows, such as “Matlock,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Perry Mason.” She has a goal now. She wants to regain her strength.
“I’m going to try to walk (in Vickie’s Angel Walk Oct. 10). I’m going to try to give back,” she said.