thsntht
a story with a happy ending
59.366
My older sister that lives in Las Vegas was diagnosed last summer with colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver, Stage IV. She began a chemotherapy regimen. After months of treatment and not seeing signs of improvement, she and her husband sought out a second opinion at UCLA. There they found a wonderful team of doctors that finally gave her and her family some hope. She started a different chemotherapy regimen with the hopes of making her a candidate to have the right side of her liver removed, that the healthy left side would be able to regenerate, that the best possible outcome would make her cancer free after the resection. During this time, to prepare her for the surgery, she underwent a procedure, a hepatic artery embolization, where they would stop the blood flow to the right side of her liver, and without the blood flow the cancer would not be able to keep growing. After a few months they were hopeful the tumor would shrink and she would have enough healthy liver left to regenerate and function after the resection. It didn't turn out that way. The cancer, they said, had now moved into the left side of her liver, in addition to the right, and she was not a candidate for surgery at that time. So they changed the chemotherapy plan once again, this time more aggressive. She made it through that round and went back to UCLA for another scan. The head surgeon said although the chemo had stopped the cancer from growing more, there was still too much cancer to remove, that there would not be enough healthy liver left, but that was if he was relying on what information the scan was giving him. He questioned the scan and said he wanted to actually look at her liver to get an accurate indication of what was really going on. Before the surgery, he gave her a 50/50 chance that he would be able to resect the liver. If that was not possible, he would implant a pump in her liver to deliver long-term chemotherapy.
This morning she went in for surgery, not knowing what the outcome would be when she came out of the anesthetic fog. Her friends and family waited from other cities as her husband kept us updated with texts as he received new information. The result was more than anyone could have hoped for, wished for, even imagined. As it turns out, the cancer was confined to the right side of her liver and what the scan was indicating on the left side as cancer was actually benign cysts. They successfully removed the right side, she has 65% of her liver left, which will regenerate, and the colon cancer was taken care of with the chemotherapy and a surgical procedure done at the same time as the liver resection. According to her doctors she is cancer free.
I've learned that tomorrow is not guaranteed, to never ever give up hope, because sometimes, not every time, but sometimes there are true miracles. I've learned to forgive and forget, that life is too short. I believe prayers do work. I have a newfound respect for anyone suffering from cancer, what people go through to survive because they have a lot more living to do.
Nancy, you put up a good fight. You kept a positive attitude when I know it must have been so hard to do so. I’m so very proud of you. I know there are brighter days ahead for you. I’ll see you soon.
Your little sis.
a story with a happy ending
59.366
My older sister that lives in Las Vegas was diagnosed last summer with colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver, Stage IV. She began a chemotherapy regimen. After months of treatment and not seeing signs of improvement, she and her husband sought out a second opinion at UCLA. There they found a wonderful team of doctors that finally gave her and her family some hope. She started a different chemotherapy regimen with the hopes of making her a candidate to have the right side of her liver removed, that the healthy left side would be able to regenerate, that the best possible outcome would make her cancer free after the resection. During this time, to prepare her for the surgery, she underwent a procedure, a hepatic artery embolization, where they would stop the blood flow to the right side of her liver, and without the blood flow the cancer would not be able to keep growing. After a few months they were hopeful the tumor would shrink and she would have enough healthy liver left to regenerate and function after the resection. It didn't turn out that way. The cancer, they said, had now moved into the left side of her liver, in addition to the right, and she was not a candidate for surgery at that time. So they changed the chemotherapy plan once again, this time more aggressive. She made it through that round and went back to UCLA for another scan. The head surgeon said although the chemo had stopped the cancer from growing more, there was still too much cancer to remove, that there would not be enough healthy liver left, but that was if he was relying on what information the scan was giving him. He questioned the scan and said he wanted to actually look at her liver to get an accurate indication of what was really going on. Before the surgery, he gave her a 50/50 chance that he would be able to resect the liver. If that was not possible, he would implant a pump in her liver to deliver long-term chemotherapy.
This morning she went in for surgery, not knowing what the outcome would be when she came out of the anesthetic fog. Her friends and family waited from other cities as her husband kept us updated with texts as he received new information. The result was more than anyone could have hoped for, wished for, even imagined. As it turns out, the cancer was confined to the right side of her liver and what the scan was indicating on the left side as cancer was actually benign cysts. They successfully removed the right side, she has 65% of her liver left, which will regenerate, and the colon cancer was taken care of with the chemotherapy and a surgical procedure done at the same time as the liver resection. According to her doctors she is cancer free.
I've learned that tomorrow is not guaranteed, to never ever give up hope, because sometimes, not every time, but sometimes there are true miracles. I've learned to forgive and forget, that life is too short. I believe prayers do work. I have a newfound respect for anyone suffering from cancer, what people go through to survive because they have a lot more living to do.
Nancy, you put up a good fight. You kept a positive attitude when I know it must have been so hard to do so. I’m so very proud of you. I know there are brighter days ahead for you. I’ll see you soon.
Your little sis.