On April 25th, 2017 Angie Ferreira found out she had tonsil and lymph node cancer. Once the shock and disbelief wore off, we numbly went to appointment after appointment learned the complete treatment plan and how we were going to beat this awful disease.
The journey actually began months earlier when she had a swollen lymph node that would not go away. We thought it was related to dental issues and had those resolved along with 2 rounds of antibiotics. The node seemed to get smaller and they came back as before. She also noticed a sore throat and swollen tonsil on one side. We then made an appointment to a GP to get some answers.
The GP -Doctor immediately noticed the "neck mass" and ordered a CT scan. The CT scan confirmed the mass was 3 lymph nodes. It was not conclusive on cause. The next test was a "Fine needle aspiration" biopsy with ultrasound. This test was in the hospital. Needles were insterted into each lymph node, guided by ultrasound, to extract fluid and tissue to be examined and tested for malignancy. This test also came back inconclusive. She was then sent to the ENT Dr. who on the first appointment felt her lymph nodes, looked in her throat and airways and decided to do a biopsy immediately of her right swollen tonsil.
The return appointment was on April 25th, she was very nervous and we held hands as the Dr. said the tonsil is maligant and spread t o the lymph nodes. She was then set up for a PET scan to check the rest of her body for other cancers as well as possible surgery to remove the tonsil. The waiting with her for the PET scan results was agonizing. Finally the results came back and no other cancers were found.
We then got to meet our Cancer Team. We learned she will at least need 7 weeks of radiation (5 days a week) and chemotherapy (1 day per week).
She may lose some hair and weight, she may have a feeding tube and she will have a "picc" line for chemo.
Recovering will also be long and difficult.
The amount of time off to be with her, her time off, the deductibles and medical expenses not covered has become overwhelming.
It is very hard to admit to everyone we are not able to take care of all these expenses on our own, we appreciate all prayers and gifts you are able to spare to get my Angie healthy again.