Gary Barg: You are working
to inform people about the negative
side effects of chemotherapy. With
your Dad, the side effects threw
your family for a loop. Nobody told
you about it beforehand?
Rob Lowe: Cancer doesn’t play
favorites, and it’s sort of the
great equalizer. Anyone fighting
cancer, or anyone living with or
loving someone fighting cancer—it’s
just the same for me as anybody
else. We all want new information,
we all want strength and hope. We
were aware of hair loss, nausea,
bloating, and all those things you
usually associate with chemo, but we
didn’t know that infection is a very
common side effect, and potentially
a life-threatening one.
Knowing would have made a big
difference to us going in, because
my dad’s chemo was stopped when his
count was down and he’d gotten an
infection. Luckily, it wasn’t as bad
for him as it is for others. Some
people have to go into the hospital.
Some people have to be isolated from
their families, and, unfortunately,
some do die from it. So I wanted
that word to get out because today,
with new medicines, you can protect
yourself right out the door for the
most part.
Gary: I think our
dads were diagnosed about the same
time, ’90, ’91.; I remember
infection was a problem.
They’d have to stop his chemo and
then you don’t get the positive
effects; you have to change your
chemo again.
Rob:
And they really didn’t have the new
medicines. Yes, that’s exactly
what happened to my dad. As those
things go, he was on the good luck
side of it, but he thought he was
dying when he came home and he
couldn’t have his chemo. Forget the
logical mind; what he thought was,
“They told me I can’t have my chemo.
I’m dying.”
Gary: What would
you like families to know up front
when cancer is an issue?
Rob: The number
one thing is to take notes and ask
questions going in. Doctors are
amazing, and they saved my father’s
life, but remember they work for
you. One thing to specifically ask
is, “Am I going to be at risk for
infection, and if so, should I be
treated for it before we begin?”
Invariably, you leave the doctor’s
office, you drive a mile, and then
you go, “Oh, I didn’t ask about…”
And then you don’t want to call, and
when you do call, you’re on hold and
you feel uncomfortable.
