Denice's battle
Donation protected
First of all, thank you for being here. Denice Johnson Penman is a person that would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. Denice has always been the person that cares deeply about her friends and family and a shining light in the lives of anyone that has been blessed to know her. Now she is entering the most important fight, a fight for her life. Now, it is our turn to reciprocate and prove that love and support is indeed the answer during dark and troubling times.
As many of you may already know, our Mom, Denice Penman, has recently been diagnosed with stage 2 adenocarcinoma of the lung. In August, she went to her primary care physician for her annual physical and mentioned a dry cough she has had for a while. Her doctor ordered a chest x-ray, and the findings confirmed our worst fears, A 6 cm mass in her lower left lobe. She was referred to a pulmonologist for a consult on the x-ray, who sent her for a PET scan to see if the suspected cancer was in the lung only or see if there were other tumors anywhere else. At the time of the PET scan, the only tumor found was only in her lung, which is the one small piece of good news. The next step was a surgical consult who ordered a bronchoscopy to ensure that her airways were not blocked, and a biopsy to determine the type of cancer.
The surgeon was concerned with the tumor's size, so they have now referred her to a surgical oncologist in Birmingham, which she will see this week. We are still awaiting the results of the new surgeon to see what the treatment plan will be. So far, the recommendation is a partial lobectomy (removal of ½ of her left lung), which is where the tumor is located. If this procedure can be done, then we will hopefully get the clear for the surgery soon.
Mom will have a long, hard road ahead of her from what we have been told so far about the recommended procedure. She will be in the hospital for 5-7 days following the surgery, and she will need to learn how to breathe again, a process that can take up to 6 months in recovery time. Of course, during a pandemic, this process is even more stressful, as her family can only pray and send well wishes from the sidelines. To have the surgery, she can’t be exposed to any potential COVID/FLU/any other virus, as it can be exstremly dangerous for her.
Over the past few weeks, she has experienced many pain and difficulties, so she is no longer able to work. As you can imagine, her treatment is expensive, and Denice and her family can use all the financial support they can get. Your generosity can help lighten the load so that Mom can concentrate and focus on recovery. Your donation will go directly to Jim & Denice to assist with the financial burden of this disease, so they can focus on healing and supporting each other. Please consider helping us in the fight.
As many of you may already know, our Mom, Denice Penman, has recently been diagnosed with stage 2 adenocarcinoma of the lung. In August, she went to her primary care physician for her annual physical and mentioned a dry cough she has had for a while. Her doctor ordered a chest x-ray, and the findings confirmed our worst fears, A 6 cm mass in her lower left lobe. She was referred to a pulmonologist for a consult on the x-ray, who sent her for a PET scan to see if the suspected cancer was in the lung only or see if there were other tumors anywhere else. At the time of the PET scan, the only tumor found was only in her lung, which is the one small piece of good news. The next step was a surgical consult who ordered a bronchoscopy to ensure that her airways were not blocked, and a biopsy to determine the type of cancer.
The surgeon was concerned with the tumor's size, so they have now referred her to a surgical oncologist in Birmingham, which she will see this week. We are still awaiting the results of the new surgeon to see what the treatment plan will be. So far, the recommendation is a partial lobectomy (removal of ½ of her left lung), which is where the tumor is located. If this procedure can be done, then we will hopefully get the clear for the surgery soon.
Mom will have a long, hard road ahead of her from what we have been told so far about the recommended procedure. She will be in the hospital for 5-7 days following the surgery, and she will need to learn how to breathe again, a process that can take up to 6 months in recovery time. Of course, during a pandemic, this process is even more stressful, as her family can only pray and send well wishes from the sidelines. To have the surgery, she can’t be exposed to any potential COVID/FLU/any other virus, as it can be exstremly dangerous for her.
Over the past few weeks, she has experienced many pain and difficulties, so she is no longer able to work. As you can imagine, her treatment is expensive, and Denice and her family can use all the financial support they can get. Your generosity can help lighten the load so that Mom can concentrate and focus on recovery. Your donation will go directly to Jim & Denice to assist with the financial burden of this disease, so they can focus on healing and supporting each other. Please consider helping us in the fight.
Organizer
Jim Penman
Organizer
Webb, AL