Christen’s Battle

Our mom has fought cancer for 3 years. It all started in November of 2017 when she was first diagnosed. She went through six months of chemo for the doctor to tell her there was nothing left he could do. Our mom was devastated but understood. She came home, sat my sister and I down, and then told us the news. She had come to terms with what was going to happen but then a miracle doctor stepped in. He told her he could do the surgery she needed in order to save her. She went to Pittsburgh and became her own living donor. Her liver was dissected from the healthy and the cancerous parts. The doctor put the healthy pieces together and then back into my mom making her a new liver. At the time her liver was only 20% of a normal liver. She went through more chemo once she was back on her feet and feeling well enough. Unfortunately, 17 months later she was diagnosed with cancer again. The doctors didn’t believe it was metastatic cancer. They didn’t see how it was possible when with this type of cancer it didn’t come back where they normally say reoccurrences. This time it was in her diaphragm, abdominal lining, pelvic area, and behind her right kidney. The doctors were not sure if her body could handle more chemotherapy, but let her do the chemo because she fought them. She fought them because she wasn’t giving up and she wasn’t leaving my sister and I. She went through the chemo and it nearly killed her. They had to quit her chemo sooner than they had wanted. Not letting her finish the cycle, but another doctor from Pittsburgh took her case on. She performed a HIPEC surgery on my mom. Opening her breast bone to pubis bone. Once the removal was done, the doctor put hot chemo into my moms abdomen and shut her up. It was a chemo wash treatment to help kill any cells that may have been missed. Our mom spent weeks down in Pittsburgh. The complications from this surgery to be beyond what anyone could have thought. Her chest was filling with fluid, she couldn’t breath, she was in so much pain. Here to find out she had a lymphatic leak. Once of her lymphatic ducts had been cut and was leaking into her chest. She had to be taken down to Pittsburgh right away. A chest tub was put back in, she had a picc line put into arm where she received her TPN feedings. She wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Food was not allowed until the leak was almost completely gone. Once food was able to be reintroduced to her it took months for her to be able to eat a normal meal. She kept knocked down though. Pneumonia was next. The doctors couldn’t figure out why antibiotics orally and then by IV were not solving the issue. So she was sent to Pittsburgh. There a biopsy of her lung tissue was done. Wednesday 12-16-2020 she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma of the lungs. It was official, my mom realized, she now has metastatic cancer. However, the worst part of it all is she cannot get any treatment or surgeries. Her body is still too weak from fighting for as long as she has. There is also nothing the doctors can do for her. It is now day by day. It’s whatever time she has left. Our mom had to stop working because her health has declined so much. She is going to begin immunotherapy, but that is if she is able to get it. My sister and I are asking for help. Our mom is losing her health insurance and paychecks. I still live with my mom and I am a full time college student. Our mom is trying to figure everything out but she is tired. She can no longer do this for herself. So I am asking for any bit of help to see that her time is not spent worrying about everything and she can enjoy the rest of her life with her family and loved ones.