On May 14th, after having new and recent issues managing blood sugars, Cynthia was hospitalized for blood sugar levels above 600 and quickly became extremely jaundiced. Doctors did a CT, MRI, and ultrasound which showed both strictures and dilation in the biliary tree going through the head of her pancreas. She was scheduled for stent placement and exploratory surgery the following week on May 21st. Biopsies came back at the end of the week confirming localized Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Thankfully, because the cancer is located in the head of the pancreas, it put a strain on the ducts passing through the area resulting in the jaundice causing noticeable symptoms. Pancreatic cancer symptoms are often minimal, and the disease usually does not cause obvious symptoms until it has progressed, so Cynthia feels very fortunate to have caught it at Stage 1.

Cynthia has been using an insulin pump and blook glucose monitor for the last few months with pretty good success so far! A few ups and downs but overall, the worsened diabetes has been under control.

So far, treatment has gone as well as we could have asked for. Chemotherapy and radiation were very well tolerated and blood tumor markers as of August have decreased from over 300 down to 80 -- this means she's been deemed a candidate for surgery! There have been a few episodes of low blood pressure and intense pain that warranted ER visits but did not escalate further. Cynthia is one tough cookie!

On October 13th Cynthia will be undergoing a Whipple procedure. It will remove the head of her pancreas, bile duct, part of her stomach, and part of her small intestine. This is a major operation, 10 hours barring complications, and will require a minimum of two weeks in the hospital recovery time and then three months recovery at home.

Your care and prayers are invaluable to Cynthia, and any donations will help immensely with the out-of-pocket and in-home care costs.

Cynthia and her family thank you from the bottom of their hearts and we cannot wait to celebrate beating this disease with you all!!