On January 27th, my 34-year-old sister Joan went to the ER because she wasn’t feeling well. After a few days in the hospital and running tests, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was advised that she needed a hysterectomy to remove the mass. It was heartbreaking news knowing she won’t be able to have kids, but she quickly had to think about the next steps ahead.

On February 1st, she underwent surgery, and we are so grateful that it went well. She then faced 18 weeks of chemotherapy to target the remaining mass in her colon. Her doctors were hopeful that the treatment plan would be successful, and with all the prayers and support, we believed she’d come out stronger than ever.

By May 29th, Joan started her first round of a new treatment plan. Unfortunately, the cancer proved too aggressive for the initial therapy to be effective, so she began a more intensive regimen for another 18 weeks.

Now, on August 1st, the past few weeks have been an emotional journey for our family. Joan has given me permission to share that about a month ago, she received a terminal diagnosis. Although we had known the cancer was incurable, we recently learned that chemotherapy is no longer managing her symptoms. As of yesterday, Joan has been moved into hospice care at a beautiful facility in Torrance.

We are doing our best to honor her wishes by creating a peaceful and loving environment during this time while preparing for what lies ahead.