Helping Wendi Banish Cancer

Wendi Gifford is the embodiment of a fighter and has been her whole life. Overcoming an onslaught of health issues and a custody battle was not enough to slow her down. Even after that, only now is she facing her most difficult challenge, Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.

Wendi is no stranger to the struggles that come with health issues. At the tender age of four years old, Wendi underwent surgery to treat a congenital kidney disease. Years later as an adult, pre-eclampsia and a ruptured uterus compelled her to undergo a hysterectomy. Over the last 10+ years, she has battled with Lupus, an autoimmune disease that affects one's own tissues and organs. Wendi's struggles with her health were compounded with complicated custody issues as well.

Wendi is a single mother of two, Hanna and Tristan. At 10 years old, Tristan was diagnosed with a rare hip disease (Legg-Calve-Perthes) that necessitated 15 surgeries in the short span of 5 years. Punishing requirements for travel compounded the already stressful treatment plan, some of which involved flying to the other side of the country to see the proper medical specialists. Despite the difficulties, it paid off. Tristan and Hanna are now grown adults with good careers. Wendi considers her son and daughter as her greatest accomplishments.

Wendi's battle with Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer began in April of 2022. She had a hard bout with the flu, pancreatitis, COVID-19, Iritis, and complications of her lupus. Once she recovered from these, she continued to have persistent stomach pain. At first, it seemed to her doctor that this was the result of long working hours and high stress, but after beginning to experience fatigue and a lack of appetite she sought a second opinion. Blood work was performed on November 2nd, and though the results were in her the normal range they were not deemed serious. Despite the deceptively positive results, the aforementioned symptoms did not subside and Wendi began to experience weight loss and abnormalities in her digestive and urinary systems.

The severity of these symptoms increased to a point where she needed a CT scan. The results revealed the root cause of her pain; a 2.9 cm mass on the head of her pancreas. She was immediately admitted to the hospital. It was then discovered that the mass was causing her kidney and liver to fail. A stent was placed after two attempts and a biopsy was taken within 12 hours. This unfortunately confirmed the worst possibility; the mass detected by the CT scan was identified as a cancerous tumor.

So, here's the plan: chemotherapy. The treatment will begin as soon as the surgery to install her port is completed. Wendi has been selected as a candidate for Whipple surgery as well, however, the chemo and radiation are prerequisites for that procedure. Eventually, should its size decrease, targeted therapies specific to the tumor and its genetic makeup will be employed to further mitigate this awful disease.

How to help Wendi: She still has so much life with her children, family, and friends, that she wants to be here to experience with them. Any amount you can donate will help. Donations will go towards Wendi's medical bills, transportation, groceries, housing, and any unforeseen costs. If you are unable to contribute any funds at this time, we humbly ask for you to please share Wendi's story!