Today
I just got this from April:
The side effects from the chemo are kicking in...I'm getting really tired and am now thinking hair will probably thin if I don’t lose. It's a pretty good chance that I will loose it but I'll just have to wait and see.Lets all just pray that she feels more energized and is able to get through her day without too much pain.
April's Story
In May 2006, when April was twenty weeks pregnant, she went in for a routine ultrasound to find out the gender of her baby. The ultrasound would turn out to be life-changing in more ways than one. Happily, April found out she would be the mother of a little girl, but sadly her doctor also discovered a tumor. The doctor dismissed it as a ‘fatty deposit,’ even though April had previously had cancer. April asked her doctor for tests because it was so alarming to her, but again she was dismissed.
After the delivery of baby Emma, April began to experience major pain that continued to get worse and worse, so she finally went to the ER, begging to be tested. Unfortunately, they found that the tumor had grown immensely. April was sent to surgery for what was thought to be a benign tumor and possible ovary removal. During the surgery, doctors found the cancer everywhere in April’s pelvic region. A full hysterectomy was performed. April’s doctors tried their best to remove all the cancer, but it had metastasized. She then went on chemo to fight a long list of cancers, because her doctors were unsure what type of cancer April actually had. The tests showed that it was not ovarian cancer, but, rather, another type of cancer that had spread to her ovaries. At that point they thought it was Stage 4 cancer, which is incurable.
In January 2007, April’s doctor told her they received a pathology report from the hospital that had performed her last surgery in the spring of 2004 to remove a non-cancerous tumor. The pathology report showed that the precursor cells that were found in the last, non-cancerous tumor were the same as the cells that were found in the most recent, cancerous tumor. It was a promising hope that April could possibly have ovarian cancer with a strange cellular makeup. That took it from a stage 4 to stage 3. Although the prognosis was still serious, there was hope that April’s cancer might be wiped out.
Once it was discovered that the precursor cells were the same, the plan was to still continue on with chemo for another six months and to have April receive scans about every three months to see if there was any new growth. During the scan in August of this year, April received great news: the doctors believed that there was no new growth, only an inflammation that measured at .5 cm which they believed to be swelling from the last surgery. April’s family was ecstatic for obvious reasons, one of which was that April had made it a whole year with no return of the disease.
Unfortunately, immediately after that last scan, April began experiencing pain again. She trusted her instincts and went in and asked to be checked out even though she had just had a scan. She had an exam the following week, and they found that that small, .5 cm inflammation was, in fact, the cancer. It had really never gone away and was just being held at bay with the chemo. April got another scan in early September, and this one verified the tumor had already grown to 4-5 cm in three weeks.
At the time of this writing, April has started back on chemo, but it’s a different kind of regimen. One part of the chemo drug is called Topotecan, and there is also a bio agent drug called Avistan. The plan is for these drugs to keep the size of the tumor down, or wipe it away all together. There are also tiny spots all throughout her pelvic region now, along with the tumor.
The plan is to keep April on a chemotherapy regimen for as long as is tolerable. If the chemo treatment is not successful or sustainable, there will then be other options. April’s doctors’ prognosis is for a one-year survival rate, with a one- to two-percent chance of the cancer going into complete remission. Even with that news we are obviously holding out for a miracle and hoping that April will be healed.
Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings as EAGLES they shall run, and not be weary;and they shall walk, and not faint"
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4 comments:
Hi honey, not a minute goes by that I don't think of you and pray for you. You are such a strong wonderful lady. I love you tons, Shirley
April, I can not believe it. I think about you a lot... I can not even imagine what must be going through your mind. I will pray for you and Chris and Emma every day. We will be seeing you soon. Love, Shaney
HI Ya'll,
I finally figured out how to post a comment. I cannot say enough what it means to me to see how many people love and support me and our family. It is sad that we cannot appreciate those we have when we have them here and healthy. I think that is one of the biggest lessons for all of us to learn. Be GRATEFUL for everything. Even the bad. It all means something that moves us forward. I know I will be with all of you if it is God's will to take me. It will be a long time in your world, but for me will be a blink of an eye. I am still hoping for a miracle, but not being unrealistic. I love you all so much and hope you can take one thing from this experience to better you and your outlook on life. The way you treat your spouses, kids, friends, etc. We cannot ever take those things back. I laugh now at how hard I worked myself to acquire all of these "things". I wont be taking any where I am going. How Ironic. Think about that ya'll. What will you take? Just memories, if even we take those. We do leave our legacy, and I feel at this point I have left a good one. Until Emma, I questioned that. I have done well now and feel proud. Thanks again to everyone. You all mean so much and your words are so inspiring.
April, I can't even imagine what you are going through but if there is anything at all that either Gary or I can do, please let us know. We are both praying for you daily. Sometimes it may seem hard to ask for help but that's what we are here for....you and your family. We love you so much and want to help any way we can. Smooches, Shirley & Gary
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