ABOUT ROSALIND

The Rosalind Martin-Handsome Story

by Paula Martin

Rosalind and I were the two youngest in the family so, growing up we were always close and as we grew into adults our bond became even stronger. We always leaned on, depended on, and relied on each other for constant love and support. Roz was not only my baby sister; she was also my best friend!  There would be times when we would just look at each other and start laughing because we knew exactly what the other was thinking. She showed me the true meaning of sisterhood and I was blessed to have her in my life for 41 years.

Not only was Rosalind beautiful on the inside and out, but she was also very

intelligent. When she smiled at someone they couldn’t help but smile back. She had a genuine love for people and she never met a stranger. Her sincere care and concern for her family and friends was demonstrated daily and her faith in God was remarkable. In fact, her faith and strength during the fight of her life encouraged others up until her final day.

Rosalind Martin-Handsome was a Non-Smoker

I want you to know a little bit about Rosalind prior to her fight...

Rosalind Janine Martin was born on May 20, 1964 in Denver, Colorado. She was the youngest of five children from the union of the late Roland B. Martin and Arlee Martin. Rosalind always excelled in school she was an “A” student and her grades never suffered while participating in extracurricular activities such as cheerleading and running track. She graduated from Metropolitan State College with her Bachelors of Science degree in Computer and Management Science in 1986 and received a Masters degree in Computer Information Systems in 1998 from the University of Denver. 

At a very early age, Rosalind was baptized in the name of Jesus and she was filled with the Holy Ghost in 1979. Now some of you reading this may not understand what this means, but basically it means that Rosalind was a dedicated and hard-working servant of God her entire life. She trusted God in every situation, no matter how bad things got during the final fight of her life.  Roz held various jobs in her lifetime, but her most important job of all was witnessing to people across the country about the love of God.

Rosalind was totally devoted to God and she waited for God to provide all her needs. On May 31, 2003 at the age of 39 years, Rosalind married the love of her life and soulmate Rufus Handsome III. I had never seen my sister so happy before and I was honored to not only be her Maid of Honor, but also her Wedding Coordinator. My goal was to make her wedding day one that she would never forget and I believe it was. Watching Roz and Rufus made me believe in love and I could only hope that one day I could have half of what they had with someone in my life. Roz and Rufus loved and honored each other all the days of there life together. Their marriage would last for 2½ years before her passing.

Rosalind’s Fight

Roz had been coughing since November 2004.  She had seen her health care provider several times over the course of about two months for cold-like symptoms and was told that she had pneumonia.  After the medication prescribed for the pneumonia didn’t appear to be working and her symptom’s worsened, our Mom suggested that Roz go and see her doctor, a trusted physician for years.  Upon Roz’s visit to Mom’s doctor, he ordered a chest x-ray which detected a mass.  He immediately referred Roz to a lung specialist who did another chest x-ray and compared it to the original.  The comparison reflected more mass on the second x-ray and the lung specialist scheduled Roz for a biopsy on March 22, 2005.  Prior to the biopsy, the lung specialist discussed with Roz some of the possible results that might come back after the biopsy.  The possibilities included things like non-infectious lupus, tuberculosis or a fungal infection; all of which were treatable.  There was never any mention of cancer.

  

On Tuesday March 22nd, Roz, her husband Rufus, our brother Apollo, who had flown in from Los Angeles and myself went to the hospital with Roz for her biopsy.  Mom wanted to come, but Roz had been told by the doctor that she might be contagious so, she didn’t want Mom to risk catching whatever she might have especially since Mom was 72 yrs old.  In fact that day, the 22nd, was Mom’s birthday.  After the procedure Roz and Rufus were advised that the results should be back by Friday, but they later got a call to come in for the results on Thursday.  Roz called me at work to tell me that the results were back and they’d be going on Thursday at 2:30PM.  I assured my sister that I would be there with them.

On Thursday March 24th around 2:15PM, I met Roz and Rufus by the elevator outside of the doctor’s office.  I remember Roz looked very beautiful and confident, which made me feel confident that everything was going to be alright.  After all, even if the worst case scenario happened based on the possible results that the doctor had told Roz about, she would still be ok because everything was curable, right?  As soon as we walked into the office, the doctor was waiting with a strange expression on her face and she immediately took us into an exam room.  We all sat down and after a moment of silence the doctor said, “I’ve got some bad news.”  Once again, a moment of silence and then Roz asked “Well, what is it?” The doctor said, “You have a rare form of lung cancer”.  The doctor said that the cancer had spread throughout Roz’s right lung and that it was inoperable, meaning that surgery was not an option.  I turned my face away from Roz towards the wall and tears started streaming down my face.  Roz displayed the courage of a lion!  She didn’t flinch and asked the doctor since surgery wasn’t an option, what her other options were.  The doctor said she wanted Roz to see an Oncologist as soon as possible.  After a few moments of discussion, the doctor told Roz that she was surprised that she was taking this devastating news so well.  Roz began to tell the doctor about the God that she served and how he is able to heal her.  As I listened to Roz, I was amazed at her courage and strength at a time when she had received such frightening news.  Roz and Rufus asked several other questions, but the doctor told them she preferred the Oncologist address them.  She did however, tell us that the Oncologist would need to perform a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread to Roz’s bones or any other areas of her body.  I could not believe what we were hearing and I started questioning in my mind how something like this could have happened to Roz; the one person who I felt had done everything right her entire life.  She never smoked nor drank and was never anywhere around cigarette smoke so, this was unreal!  As we were leaving, Roz thanked the doctor and left with the same level of composure she had when she'd arrived.  She knew that God was in control of this situation as he had been her entire life.  We rode down the elevator in silence and as Roz and I waited in the lobby for Rufus to get the car, I started crying in Roz’s arms and as she held me, she began to weep.  We got in our cars and headed to Mom’s house to tell her the bad news.

As soon as we walked into Mom’s house Roz walked over to Mom and without saying a word broke down in Mom's arms.  Mom said, "I already know" and began to comfort Roz.  After a few moments, Mom comforted Rufus and then me.  I called our other sisters and brothers to tell them the news and each one broke down and questioned why Roz, our baby sister who we all respected, looked up to and had tried to protect her entire life.  I remember some of us saying that we wished it were us and not her, but no matter how bad we were feeling, it could not compare to how Roz was feeling.  Roz, Rufus and I stayed at Mom’s house over the next week, supporting each other.

March 27th was Easter Sunday and Roz planned to address the church congregation and ask them to stand in faith and prayer with her during this fight for her life.  When Roz arrived at church, she had her usual smile on her face "the Roz smile", and as she addressed the church her faith, strength and courage was once again demonstrated.  Listening to her discussing her diagnosis and declaring her faith and trust in God for her healing, you couldn’t help but believe she was going to be healed.

Roz’s first Oncologist appointment was on Tuesday March 29th.  Roz, Rufus, Mom and I all rode together to the appointment and our other sister met us at the doctor's office.  The Oncologist reviewed the x-rays, CAT scans and notes and confirmed that Roz did have lung cancer.  He said it was impossible to tell how long the cancer had been there, but possibly a little more then a year.  He scheduled Roz for a PET scan and since she was also having some pain in her head, he scheduled her for a brain MRI.  Once these results came back we’d have a better ideal of Roz’s options for treatment.

On Friday, April 8th, Mom and I took Roz back to the doctor for the tests results from the PET scan and brain MRI.  Rufus had started a new job around the time Roz was initially diagnosed so, we assured him that he could go to work and we’d take Roz to whatever appointments he couldn’t make and call him immediately with updates.  Rufus knew if Roz was with Mom and me, she was in good hands.  Roz’s best friend Nancy, met us at the doctor’s office for this appointment to lend her support.  She and Roz were like sisters.  After arriving, the nurse took us back to get Roz’s blood pressure, oxygen level, weight, temperature and take some blood tests.  She then led us to the exam room to wait for the doctor.  As we sat there waiting for the results, we began to pray for positive news.  When the doctor came into the room he told us there were no surprises on the PET scan; the cancer had not spread through Roz’s body, but he did see some nodules in her left lung now as well as her right.  Roz asked about the brain MRI and the doctor said he was still awaiting those results.  The doctor left to check on the results and when he returned, he said the MRI was negative.  The doctor suggested that Roz get started on a newly approved FDA chemotherapy drug called "Tarceva".  Roz would need to return after a month for another chest x-ray to see if the drug was working.  She’d also need another CAT scan in two months to see if the drug was controlling the growth of the cancer.  Before we left the exam room, the Oncologist introduced us to a Social Worker who gave us her business card and offered future support to our family whenever we might need it. 

Over the next month, Roz asked us all to try and go on with our lives as if nothing had changed.  This was not an easy task because we all knew the seriousness of Roz's situation and the realization that she was fighting daily for her life.  Roz began taking the Tarceva soon after her doctor's appointment, but was still experiencing a lot of pain and fatigue as well as side-effects from the Tarceva such as her face breaking out.

Roz’s next scheduled x-ray was on May 5th.  Mom and I arrived to pick her up just as she was finishing her breakfast.  We had a couple of minutes so, we sat down at the table with her and began talking.  Roz shared with us that at times, the pain was unbearable and the coughing was now causing her to vomit.  We tried to encourage Roz, but how can you really encourage someone faced with a life or death illness?  We just let Roz know how much we loved her and would always be there for her.

After arriving at the doctor’s office, the nurse took us to get Roz’s stats and then into the exam room.  When the Oncologist came into the room, he told us that the chest x-ray didn’t look much different from before and that it was perhaps too soon to tell if the Tarceva was working so, he wanted Roz to continue on the drug for another month.  He explained that the Tarceva could produce three outcomes; it could cause Roz to get better quickly, it could do nothing, or it could work to stabilize the growth of the cancer and then start to show slow improvement.  The white and red blood cell count tests taken to check Roz's kidney and liver functions looked normal, but her platelets were a little high.  Roz mentioned to the doctor that she was having a sharp, stabbing pain when she coughed or raised her arm a certain way.  The doctor said she might have pneumonia so, he prescribed a 10-day supply of antibiotics.  He told her that if she wasn’t better after she finished the antibiotics, she'd need to come back early for another CAT scan.  The doctor said that his ultimate goal was to control the disease from growing and make Roz feel better however, there was no guarantee that the Tarceva would prolong her life.  After hearing this Roz broke down for a moment, but quickly pulled herself back together and told the Oncologist that she was still trusting God.  Mom was the biggest source of strength and encouragement for Roz and all of us during those rough days, but I could see in her eyes that she was having a hard time watching her baby suffer.

Roz’s 41st birthday was on May 20th and seeing that she'd been having such a rough couple of months, Mom and I decided to give her a big surprise birthday dinner on Sunday, May 15th, right after church.  Our brother, Apollo flew in from Los Angeles to surprise Roz and there were so many people in the form of family and friends who came and shared with Roz on what would be, as we now know, her last birthday celebration.  It was such a beautiful day, filled with love, support, and encouragement.  Roz was so happy, it made all our hearts happy.

Before Roz was diagnosed with lung cancer, she had accepted a preaching engagement in New York scheduled for the end of May.  Roz prayed about whether or not to go and once she made the decision that she would go, she asked me if I would accompany her to which I of course said, "Yes".  Her determination to continue spreading the word of God was amazing during this time of adversity.  Roz was in a lot of pain and her cough was worsening, but she was determined to go forward.  Her message on Friday, May 20th (her 41st birthday), was “No Matter What - I Will Serve the Lord” and her message on Sunday, May 22nd was “It’s Not About You”.  She preached from her heart and during her sermon, only coughed once or twice.

Roz and Rufus celebrated their second wedding anniversary on May 31st, the weekend after her preaching engagement in New York.  Although my sister was not feeling well, she was determined to go to Palm Springs, California with her husband for their anniversary.  She wanted to continue living life to the fullest, not knowing that this would be there last anniversary together.  The day after Roz left for her anniversary trip, I received a priority package in the mail from her with a beautiful card inside and a book titled “I’m Glad You Are My Sister”.  As I read the book I began to cry thinking that I was the one who was glad that SHE  was MY sister.  What a blessing she had always been in my life!

Roz’s next doctor appointment was Friday, June 3rd.  Mom and I took Roz to this appointment and our other sister met us there.  As soon as we arrived, the nurse took us to get Roz’s stats.  All of Roz’s stat’s were dropping on each visit and although we were keeping the faith and trusting God for Roz’s healing, we could visibly see that she was getting worst.  When the Oncologist came into the room, he told us that the CAT scan was a little worse and that the Tarceva was not working.  He said the cancer had spread throughout both of Roz’s lungs.  This was a hard blow for Roz and we all broke down in the exam room.

Over the next six month’s Roz would preach the gospel at her brother’s house in Los Angeles, trying to reach out to souls as she always did and she was also asked to preach at a church in Chicago twice, which she gladly accepted.  Her body was weak and tired, but she felt and told me on several occasions that her work for the Lord was not finished so, as long as she had breath in her body she was determined to continue doing God’s will!  Roz had to be put on oxygen in late October, but even while on the oxygen, she continued to encourage and pray for others.  Her faith in God never wavered.  She knew God was going to heal her.

On Friday December 23, 2005 at 10:25AM, Roz received her healing.  She was at her mother’s home, surrounded by her loving mother, devoted husband, two sisters, one brother and many family and friends.  Roz was always concerned about us and how we were dealing with her illness and I remember right before she passed away she looked up at her husband and he told her it was ok for her to take her rest; we’d be ok and then she looked at Mom and Mom told her she had fought a good fight; we’d all be ok and that she could go ahead and rest in God’s arms.  Everyone in the room was telling Roz that we loved her.  Roz took her last breath, closed her eyes and went home to be with the Lord.  After nine months of pain and suffering my sister was at peace resting in God’s arms!

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

(II Timothy 4:7)

Click on a photo to view an enlarged version.

(Scrolling photos at the bottom of this page.)

Copyright © 2006-09.The Rosalind Martin-Handsome Lung Cancer Foundation. All rights reserved. Website designed & hosted by Coast Systems Solutions, Inc.