[July 05, 2011] Tracy Canery overcame multiple diagnoses of cancer Tweet Jul 05, 2011 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Some days, the pain piercing Tracy Canery's stomach felt so intense, her knees would buckle. The stinging ache in the pit of her belly gnawed at her for a year and a half. Without health insurance, Canery was hesitant to see a specialist. She took daily doses of over-the-counter painkillers to mask her agony and tame her constant bouts of diarrhea. She consumed some 30 anti-diarrheal pills a week. "I knew something was wrong," she said. "I was going to the hospital, but they kept telling me I had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)." When the crippling pain become too much, Canery saw an internal medicine doctor who sent her straight to a gastroenterologist. Following a colonoscopy, Canery was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. She was just 36 years old. "I sort of blanked out," Canery recalled. "You never think you could have something like that." She also never imagined she would be diagnosed with cancer two more times. After her first battle in 2006, the disease infiltrated her liver, then her lungs. Each time, Canery fought back -- and she succeeded. The 41-year-old mother of two has been cancer-free since February. "I didn't think it was going to come back," she said. "I thought it was just that one time, and I'd be all right and I could go back to work and live a normal life." Before cancer, Canery, a Lumberton native who lives in Fayetteville, was raising her two sons -- Renaldo and Christopher Sinclair. She worked in dietary services at a nursing home. The chemotherapy damaged Canery's nerves, and she no longer can work. She said God, her mother and her children have been her saving grace. Talking about her battle with the illness also has helped her work through the raw emotions. She taped a video entry, "Beyond the Chemo," on the CancerTV website. In it, she opens up about her triple cancer diagnosis. The site encourages cancer patients and survivors to post original videos to share their experiences. Her video, which lasts 48 minutes and 22 seconds, shows an emotional Canery sitting on a bed as she details her journey with cancer treatment. On occasion, she pauses to wipe tears from her eyes while revealing intimate moments of her fight. "I wanted to kill myself," she said in the video. "I sat in my room in the dark and just sat there and thought about it. It took me about a week, and I decided to try to fight it. So that's what I've been doing." Opening up about her struggle with cancer has been difficult for Canery, who, until now, has been reserved and guarded about revealing her emotions. Through her fight, Canery has carried herself with a quiet dignity and strength -- never letting those close to her see the amount of pain she endured. Canery, who speaks in hushed tones, doesn't get teary eyed anymore when she reveals what she's been through. She hasn't seen her video since she made it, though she's been told it's well done. She just hopes, she said, it can bring comfort to someone else dealing with the disease. "It was hard. It was real hard," she said. "I was holding it inside, and I wanted to release it, to let it out, to let somebody hear me." When doctors found the first tumor, it was removed along with half of her colon. For eight months, she used a colostomy bag. Chemotherapy followed for another eight moths. One year later, doctors discovered a tumor in Canery's liver. She had surgery to remove it and chemotherapy for six months. Another cancer-free year passed. Canery developed neuropathy from the chemotherapy, which limited her movement. But she soldiered through, believing at least the cancer had been cleared. "I still thought it was the end," she said. "I had more chemo. I thought, so this is it." Then came 2010. Canery once again was diagnosed with cancer during a routine screening. The disease had spread to both of her lungs. Another six months of chemo followed. "A lot of stuff was going through my mind the third time," she said. "I had to be there for my kids, so I just prayed on it and kept on going." What worried Canery the most was feeling she was being a burden to others. Her mother, Rosalyn Canery, cared for her as she went through chemo. Her two sons -- now 19 and 22 -- also helped, by making dinner and cleaning the house. Rosalyn Canery said she is glad she has been able to be there for her daughter, even though it's been tough on the family. "I want to say I went to hell and back," said Rosalyn Canery, as her eyes filled with tears. "I've cried over it and everything. I'm still crying over it." Through it all, Rosalyn Canery said, she's been most impressed by her daughter's resilient spirit. "It was a tough ride," Rosalyn Canery said. "She's made me stronger, too. She was in pain so much, but she didn't complain or nothing. If I have aches and pains, I just keep going, too." Whenever she returned home from chemo treatments, Canery had so little energy, all she could do was lie in bed, where she'd fade in and out of sleep. The treatments made her skin so sensitive, it hurt to bathe. She felt nauseous. Her hair fell out. Once the treatments stopped, Canery regained some energy within a week. Since her final treatment ended last year, she's been cancer-free for six months. "I have faith, and that's what helps me get through," Canery said. "It will pass. At the time you might feel like it won't, but it will pass." She goes to the doctor every three months to make sure the cancer hasn't returned. And slowly, she has been getting back to a normal life. She goes for walks in the park whenever the neuropathy doesn't bother her too much. Some day, she hopes to be strong enough to go bowling. But mostly, she feels blessed to be alive and to have the love and support of her family and friends. She shoves aside thoughts that cancer could come back. And if it does, she said, she is ready to fight. "I'll fight it as long as I have to fight it," she said. "You hear about people that have cancer. Then you hear that they want to give up. And I don't like that. "You got a 50-50 chance of beating it. People are living longer now with cancer. People are beating it every day, so giving up is not the answer." Staff writer Amneris Solano can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3521. Online Tracy Canery recorded a video, "Beyond the Chemo," talking about her three-time battle with cancer. To watch the video, go to cancertv.net/CancerTV and search under recent videos. Note: "Beyond the Chemo" contains uncensored language. To see more of The Fayetteville Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.fayettevillenc.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. 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