Diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, Linda Wrobel is a now survivor with a message.  

“You don’t have to suffer alone,” said Wrobel, who lives in Cripple Creek with her husband Robert Wrobel.

After the diagnosis, Wrobel survived 12 chemotherapy treatments in six months. “About killed me,” said Wrobel, the former “Mrs. Clean” who once cleaned homes in Teller County.

Throughout her cancer journey, Wrobel had the support of her husband. The Wrobels have a close relationship, one strengthened by their shared experience of the cancer journey.  

Nonetheless, she feels a support group for people diagnosed with cancer would provide an emotional outlet that comes with sharing stories. While there are cancer support groups in Colorado Springs, Wrobel wants one closer to home. 

In the meantime, she hopes her story will encourage others to come forward and help form a group somewhere in a central location in the county. “Maybe you just need a word of encouragement from someone who’s gone through what you have,” she said.

For Wrobel, the symptoms started with vomiting bile and a trip to the emergency room at UCHealth Grandview in Colorado Springs. “They thought I had a bad gallbladder, sent me to Memorial North where surgeons removed my gallbladder,” she said.

Weeks later, in May 2024, Wrobel experienced the same symptoms. Coincidentally, she had an appointment that day with Rachel Keesling, M.D., in a clinic in Cripple Creek. Keesling noted the dark urine and yellowing skin and directed Wrobel to UCHealth Memorial Central, where an MRI showed Stage 3 cancer of the stomach.  

“Surgeons removed part of my pancreas,” she said.

After 12 weeks of chemotherapy, with an infusion every two weeks, Wrobel is now cancer-free.

“I can’t say enough good things about UCHealth; they became a family to me, the nurses, doctors, dietitians, the navigators,” she said. “They are a lifeline. No one has to be by themselves because they have a family there.”

For Wrobel the experience at Memorial Central was the wellspring for forming a support group in Teller County for people diagnosed with, or in recovery from, cancer.

“I know people already who would join a support group,” Wrobel said. “Your family is with you, but you are the one who has the cancer.”

Now that she’s on the recovery path, Wrobel, who is “almost 71,” attributes her recovery to looking at the bright side.

“You know what? You may have cancer, but cancer doesn’t have you,” she said. “When that is allowed to happen, you’re fighting a losing battle.”

After completing the 12-week chemotherapy regimen, Wrobel rang the bell while saying “farewell,” to the hospital team.

For those interested in initiating a support group, email Wrobel at rjwj1962@aol.com.