Tena's battle began on April 3rd. After suffering from pain on her right side for 4 straight days, Tena finally went to the ER. She was told she had an ileus and a cyst on her pancreas and that, essentially, it was nothing to worry about. Her primary doctor, Dr. Jessica, contacted her the following day concerned about the cyst and wanted to do further investigation. On April 15th, Tena traveled to Marshfield Rice Lake to have 7 biopsies and a needle biopsy. It took several days for results, just to have them come back inconclusive. Post biopsy was very painful and took her several days to recover. In the meantime, Tena continued to have pain in her right side. 
She was then referred to Dr. Saha at Marshfield Eau Claire. She met with him April 20th and was very impressed. He ordered more tests including a Hida scan and more blood work since the biopsy was inconclusive.
Unfortunately, on May 5th, Tena received the call she was dreading. It was determined that the tumor on the head of her pancreas is CANCER,  a Neuro Endocrine Tumor. She/we are devastated!

Tena traveled to Rochester on April 11 for a second opinion, where Dr. Truty confirmed Dr. Sasha's findings.

Now we begin the fight!
Tena is scheduled for a (complex) Wipple Procedure this Friday, May 15th at Rochester Mayo Clinic.  As we know, Pancreatic Cancer has one of the poorest prognoses, but Tena's doctors feel confident and expect her to have a positive outcome since early detection and age is on her side. They said her pancreas is very soft and healthy, however, when the pancreas is soft it is a lot more difficult to construct and work with. Tena and her family have a lot of trust and faith in this team of Dr's.

Now comes your part. :)
As of this last Monday Tena is off of work on FMLA. She has already had to take a lot of time off to attend the numerous doctor appointments, along with travel costs. Her insurance is very lackluster with this type of procedure (she thinks they only pay for 5 days in the hospital). We are unsure how long she will be in the hospital, it is expected to be anywhere from 5-12 days depending on complications. She will not be allowed any visitors while she is in the hospital, not even a spouse. Her extended recovery is expected to be 2-3 months. Again, God-willing, without complications.

Please pray for a complication free surgery and a full, fast recovery! Tena is the rock in her family. She has three young grandsons; two beautiful children (and son-in-law); a loving boyfriend; her wonderful parents, brothers and sister; and many-many friends and other family members who love her and need her well. 

Thank you in advance.