Glioblastoma Awarness Day July 17
The average person might not be familiar with the concept of kismet. Rosie Smith is though. For Smith, who lives in Watertown, kismet has played a big role in her life over the past five years. What she describes as fateful, kismet moments have helped Smith battle brain cancer and come out on the other side with a positive attitude, humor and gratitude. This week, as National Glioblastoma Day is observed on Wednesday, Smith reflects back on her journey with brain cancer and how her new book has been a therapeutic part of the coping process.
Before she moved to Watertown, Smith was homegrown in Journal Country. She was born in Britton to Tom and Inga Smith, and raised on a farm not far from Kidder over the North Dakota border. Her brother Ralph farms and lives in Havana, and her brother Sam works at John Deere in Britton. Her mom Inga is now a Britton resident, and the family still has a cabin on Clear Lake. Smith’s career as the Executive Director of Glacial Lakes and Prairie Tourism eventually took her to Watertown.
It was in August of 2019 that Smith’s life took a sharp turn. She began experiencing twitching in her face as well as some drooping. Concerned that she was having a stroke, some of her friends quickly took her to the Emergency Room. A stroke was soon ruled out, but a CT scan detected a mass on the right side of Smith’s brain. Her friends would next drive her to Sanford in Sioux Falls, though Smith wondered aloud during the ride if they might instead head to Tahiti.
Smith would soon need to undergo brain surgery to remove the “blob” on the right side of her brain that she not too affectionately named “Jack.” “Reality hits hard when you become the center of attention in a hospital room,” wrote Smith in her book. She underwent her surgery surrounded by family and friends. Not long after, Smith and her sister Brenda packed up to head home to Watertown to await more information on her brain mass. But before she could leave the hospital that day, August 22, 2019, she got the news- she had glioblastoma. Brain cancer. After the initial shock and fear, Smith remembers saying, “What do we do now, because I want to live.”
Five days after her diagnosis and after getting to go home, Smith would head back to Sioux Falls to plan for the toughest battle of her life. One of the courses of treatment would be targeted radiation which required Smith to be fitted for a special “mummy mask.” She would don the mask five days a week for six weeks.
There were also 42 days of chemo pills and many, many other medications. Smith explains that her pill regimen took a full three hours, seven days a week for six weeks. Some of these medications, like the one called Decadron, caused unwanted side effects including total lack of sleep, crazy beautiful behavior and excessive chattiness. “I always tended to tell three to five stories at once,” she says. “On Decadron though, it was more like 10 to 20.”
As she fought the aggressive form of cancer, Smith emphasizes that the battle was not only physically taxing but also mentally and emotionally exhausting as well. “Emotions ran the gamut from crazy anger to high anxiety, followed by tears to paralyzing fear,” she stressed.
But fight she did, and after weeks of treatment, Smith got to ring the bell signifying she was finished in late October of 2019.
In the months and years after she rang the bell, Smith would learn she was not done dealing with “Jack the brain tumor.” She would face more chemo pills, medications and regular MRIs likely for the rest of her life.
Throughout her cancer journey and even after, Smith was gratified to be surrounded and helped by a strong support system made up of family, friends, health professionals and others
“What do we do now, because
I want to live”
----Rosie Smith after learning of her brain cancer diagnosis she met along the way. She emphasized that she could have never made it through without this group that she calls her “gurus.”
“My gurus offered help, guidance, inspiration and support,” she said. There are no words to express my gratitude or any way to ever repay them.” Smith describes the gurus who drove her to treatments, met her for beers, provided her a shoulder to cry on and many more acts of kindness. That group is too large to name here, but Smith describes them at length in her book.
Smith explained that the idea of writing a book had been rolling around in her mind since she began her cancer treatment. “Sharing my story might help someone else,” she reflected. She would eventually reach out to Jona Ohm, a former colleague, who had her own PR agency and had edited books.
Smith said she had a “kismet moment” when she randomly sat next to Ohm at a meeting in Pierre. It was fate. On the three year anniversary of her surgery, Smith signed a contract to write her story. After journaling, submitting chapters, going through the editing process and many other steps, Smith’s self-published book came out just this past May. The full title is “Kismet: My Journey Through Life and Brain Cancer.”
Reflecting on the process, Smith said she hopes her book helps people refocus. “Sometimes, we need to stop a moment and think about what is important and what isn’t. We need to live in the moment.”
Smith said the book is for those battling cancer but also everyone else as well. For those with cancer, “May my story bring you understanding, hope and the will to survive.” For the rest of us, “I hope my journey changes the way you treat people with cancer.”
The book will also stand as her legacy Smith hopes. “Only 5% of patients survive more than five years,” she said. “I’ve made it nearly five years. There must be a reason I’m still around.”
July 17 is National Glioblastoma Day. As she marks the day, Smith hopes her journey and her book bring attention to that cancer. Looking forward, she is realistic but also hopeful and grateful.
“Living with glioblastoma, I’m never going to wake up in the morning and be considered cancer free,” Smith said. “I’m very lucky to still be alive, more than four years since surgery and three years since treatment. Trust me, I am always very grateful to wake up to see the sunshine and live another day.”
You can purchase Smith’s book at bookbaby.com or on Amazon. The author adds that she is happy to send signed copies of the book. She is available for small group speaking engagements and book signings. She can be contacted at kismetandreflection@gmail. com.
