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 Life was good, enjoying all the festivities of our oldest son Jake's graduation and prom. I had put off a feeling of tiredness and a slight pain by my right rib, who wouldn’t be tired with all that was going on. I went to see, Dr. Arjun Venkhat, and he ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen thinking it was a gallbladder issue. He saved my life. That afternoon I was told I had a tumor on my liver the size of a cantaloupe and it needed to come out whether it was cancer or not. I was referred to Dr. John Fung at the Cleveland Clinic. He is a nationally known liver surgeon and such a kind and gentle man as well. He ordered a biopsy and it came back Cholangiocarcinoma, a very rare and deadly cancer with no cure. The journey begins. An eleven hour liver resection is scheduled to remove seventy five percent of my liver. No other surgeon would have even attempted to do what Dr. Fung did. Surgery is the only possible cure for cholangiocarcinoma but the recurrence rate is extremely high.The surgery is considered a success because they were able to remove all the mass tumor but were unable to get clean margins so onto six months of chemo. Cancer free for three months and the monster is back. Another liver resection and six more months of chemo. New tumors develop immediately so I have steriotactic radiation. Another tumor develops and so currently in a new six month regimen of chemo.
Cancer is a gift in many ways. Our families faith in God is tremendous—through Him all things are possible. My good friend, Fr. Sal Ruggeri, said to me one day that God is not in the cancer and he did not bring you the cancer. Instead, He is in all the outpouring of love, kindness and prayers that people bring you. Randy Malick and Fr. Steve Brunovsky have held many prayers and healing sessions for me. A healing can be spiritual, physical or mental. Don’t think because the cancer has come back that God has not healed me.
Cancer is not about me but it is about how it has effected the people that I love. I think being the patient is easier than watching someone you love suffer.
My husband David is my rock. He is an amazing caregiver and is showing our sons Jake and Noah what true love means. If they turn out to be half the husband and father he is, their families will be greatly blessed.
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