Member helps fund her own recovery
In 2001, Bobbi Talmadge and her three kids
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Bobbi’s three strongest supporters in her fight against cancer include her son, Leighton, and her daughters Sierra (center) and Sage. |
the Capital Electric service territory northeast of Bismarck. When she filled out her application for service, she indicated she would donate each month to the Operation Round Up program. She thought her pennies would go to someone who really needed a financial boost. She was right—but she didn’t know that she would be a recipient one day.
In October 2006, Bobbi experienced a back spasm while playing volleyball. To ease the discomfort, she made several trips to a chiropractor and massage therapist. When the treatments didn’t help and her back pain intensified, she went to the emergency room. After inconclusive blood work, doctors ran a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test and discovered acute lymphoblast leukemia: an aggressive type of cancer that attacks the immune system.
The news came as a shock. Bobbi says she had always taken care of her body by working out, drinking tea and eating vegetables.
“I didn’t get a choice. Cancer picks who it picks, and you just have to deal with it,” she says.
Bobbi made several trips to Mayo Clinic for chemotherapy. Because she has a “Philadelphia chromosome,” or a chromosome abnormality due to the exchange of genetic material, chances are likely the cancer may come back. To keep her in remission, doctors gave her a bone marrow transplant at the end of March.
Her treatment will continue for the next three months at Mayo. To help cover her travel and living expenses, Bobbi applied for and received an Operation Round Up grant in February.
“I didn’t think much about Operation Round Up when I signed up for electric service, but I sure appreciate the program now,” she says.
Also providing financial help in the form of good health insurance is her employer, the N.D. Department of Agriculture. Bobbie, who works as a livestock development specialist, will take a significant break from work to heal, which doctors speculate could take a year or longer.
“I think I’m tougher than that,” she says. “I feel like I’ll rebound quicker than a year’s time.”
She relies on her strong support system, ranging from her friends and coworkers to her kids and mom. Her dad passed away from leukemia nine years ago, and Bobbi says his death gives her motivation.
“Cancer took my dad but it won’t take me.”
Praying for a speedy and thorough recovery, the staff at Capital Electric Cooperative wishes Bobbi and her family the best of luck!
For updates on Bobbi’s progress, visit www.caringbridge.org. Then click on “Visit a CaringBridge site,” enter “bobbit” as the site name and click “visit.”