Special to The Citizen

Sharon McLean has dedicated 13 years of her life helping thousands of others cope with personal disasters as a member of the American Red Cross. Before that, she was a cardiac care nurse with Auburn Memorial Hospital.

Recently, she had a cancerous lung removed. True, she has received invaluable help from friends, family and the medical community, but the simple fact is, she alone is using her skills to save herself.

“Holy cow, through the years, thousands,” she answered, in a factual manner, referring to the number of people she has helped one on one through her work in disaster relief. That included three visits to the site of the Sept. 11 tragedy.

Her friend, Linda Simmons, supplied that fact. McLean never mentioned it. “I've been all over the country, to Guam, Puerto Rico. I wouldn't dare to guess how many there's been.

“People go through stages when faced with disaster,” she explained. “It goes from shock, to disbelief, to grief, anger and then reality.”

And, arguably no less important than running into a burning house to save someone, she has helped her clients by taking them through each of those emotional doors.

“Counseling is a major part of my job. I'm a nurse by trade, so that comes with the territory,” she said. “You allow them to talk - you don't push questions at them. You look them in the eye, allow them to vent. Believe me, that is not easy. When faced with anger, your natural reaction is to pull away. Hopefully, and I mean this too, you can find just a little humor to get you through.”

McLean left nursing as a result of a back injury sustained while working, To her, it was a blessing in disguise. While nursing has always been “in her blood,” she discovered a true love in disaster relief.

“Right out of high school, for crying out loud, I went in to the Cayuga County Nursing Home. Then, working in the hospital, I had a back injury and my doctor said no bedside nursing,” she recalled. Therefore, she joined the Cayuga County Red Cross, first teaching CPR and first aid.

“Then I went into disaster work. I found my niche! I will never give up disaster work. I will stay with it always,” she said. “My thing is, when people need help, give them a hand.”

Her own health situation happened quickly.

“I went to the doctor in late March, because I just thought I had a cold. I'm thinking: I need a chest X-ray - I might have pneumonia or bronchitis,” she recalled.

A CAT scan revealed she had a tumor in her upper lymph node. A visit in April to Syracuse's University Hospital revealed it was cancer.

“They confirmed the diagnosis of cancer. Then the following week I had a biopsy. Ten days after the biopsy, I had my lung removed,” she said in a steady, clear voice. “In less than a months' time I went from you have a tumor to having a lung removed.”

And yes, there was the aspect of role reversal.

“I had to stop and think about that myself,” she said. “I went through those stages myself. It was surreal to me. But I think my training through the years has helped me come to grips with it. And the help of my family driving me to keep that positive attitude. My two sons, my brother and sister-in-law: I'm living with them right now.”

McLean has never lied to her family. They were there for her around the clock, spoon feeding her when needed, she said about her condition. Nor, does she expect her doctors to lie to her.

“I asked for honest answers. One of the first questions I asked was, ‘am I going to die.' You know, people associate death with cancer. I'm going through my chemo now. I can not predict the future: two years, five years, 10 years. I do know I'm going to fight it. I have a grandchild due in September. My goal is to see this baby grow up. That's what I'm reaching for,” she said. “I pray to God I'm here. I don't know how many tomorrows I'm going to have, but I'm going to make the most of them.”

McLean added: “I think that's the key to everything. You have to believe in yourself and your goals.”

She will be returning to disaster relief work soon.

As an addendum, she recommended everyone get annual physicals. Her cancer, her doctors told her, had been growing for two to three years. Also, money, for those who have experienced cancer, is an issue.

“Come on. Cancer doesn't go away over night. You've got to look at what's going to happen down the road. You've got to sit down and think about it, and prepare,” she said. “You must prepare down the road, you've got to prepare. The Lance Armstrong Foundation has a lot of material. They're right on the Internet: www.livestrong. I really have a lot of respect for them.”

A committee has been formed, comprised of family and friends, including Simmons, who graduated with McLean from Union Springs High School in 1967, to help defray the enormous cost involved in her medical treatments.

It is the committee McLean insisted on thanking.

“I'm really truly, truly, truly grateful. Some of the guys in the group even went so far as to shave their heads in case I lose my hair because of the chemo. Talk about a great group of family and friends - I've got the greatest friends,” she said.

“Here's someone who has always helped others,” Simmons said. “I see her quite often now. When she told me she had cancer, I was scared for her. But I'm also very optimistic.”