Support Debbie's Battle Against Cancer

April 25th, 2025, Debbie Ledford was taken to the ER in Lyons for symptoms of a possible stroke. Following a CT scan of the head, family was told she wasn’t having a stroke, but the CT showed many tumors on her brain that were cancerous. She was then transferred to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita where further work-up was completed.

During her stay at Wesley, she underwent CTs, MRIs, PET scan, and many labs. Testing showed she has a tumor in her right upper lung and 10 tumors on her brain. The brain tumors were causing increased pressure on the brain, and she immediately started high-dose steroid treatment in addition to whole brain radiation in hopes of shrinking the tumors. She also completed a biopsy of the lung tumor to send for pathology. After many days of waiting, Debbie and her family received the pathology results showing that she has Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Debbie spent 14 days at Wesley hospital receiving 10 days of whole brain radiation in hopes of shrinking the tumors to stabilize the pressure they were causing to her brain. Due to the number of tumors, she was required to undergo whole brain radiation as there were too many tumors to use targeted brain radiation. Treating the brain tumors was most important at this time, and treatment for the lung cancer would come at a later date.

May 9th, 2025, Debbie was discharged from Wesley and able to go home. The plan was to await a call from her oncologist to see if she would undergo chemotherapy versus immunotherapy. They received the call saying that the best treatment for the non-small cell lung cancer would be immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is the use of medicines to help a person’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively.

May 15th, 2025, Debbie had her first immunotherapy IV infusion for the non-small cell lung cancer. She had a double dose of IV immunotherapy medication on this first appointment.

May 22nd, 2025, Debbie had become so weak and unable to even stand. She had fallen to the floor trying to get up from her chair. Her daughter tried to help her from the floor several times, although due to Debbie having no ability to help her, EMS was called. It was then decided to have Debbie taken back to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita to be evaluated and to consult her oncology team. It was decided to admit her back to the oncology floor. Her immune system is completely compromised. She was having increased confusion and repetitive speech again as the first ER visit on April 25th. A repeat CT was completed and thank God the tumors have shrunk! Praise God After a few days in the hospital, things had not improved a lot and it was then found that she was having some problems with her kidneys. She was then transferred to the nephrology floor for evaluation and treatment. Within a day she was improving and has since been getting stronger each day! On May 25th, 2025, she was able to walk with assistance!

This is going to be a very long road of treatment and recovery. Debbie will be traveling to/from Wichita for immunotherapy IV treatment every 2 weeks at this time. She will complete MRIs every 6-8 weeks to monitor the brain tumors and be sure they are shrinking and also that no new metastatic tumors appear. This will be closely monitored by her oncology team.

I have started this in hopes of helping to relieve financial burden during this difficult time for Debbie and her children. Debbie’s children have been with her through this since day 1 and will continue to be by her side through it all, as they should. Laci and Tanner have been taking turns to have someone there for support and presence daily. With that being said, they are having to miss many days of work, drive long distances from Sterling and Lawrence with excessive fuel costs, and incurring the cost of food while being away from home. Most of all, we ask for your prayers to lift Debbie up, for her to feel the Lord’s presence and to lean on Him most! Also, please pray for strength and healing for Debbie and her family. She is so loved by all! If you are able to donate anything financially, I know it would be greatly appreciated. The donations will be used for travel to/from the hospital and appointments, to help keep up on any monthly or recurring bills that may be due, and anything related to help care for Debbie.