Janine's Healing Journey

Family, friends, and kind supporters -

Our names are Emily, Erin, Allison, and Sadie, and together we are Janine’s four daughters. With heavy hearts, we come to you to share our mom’s recent diagnosis of Renal Cell Carcinoma. As we navigate this challenging journey by our mom’s side, we wanted to reach out and ask for your prayers and support to uplift her spirits and provide strength to us all.

Janine has been a pillar of strength, kindness, and love for the 4 of us and everyone around her. She has taken care of us all our lives, and now it is our turn to take care of her. And we need your help!

Diagnosis

On February 20th of this year, we received the initial diagnosis that there was a cancerous mass on her kidney. At that time, it was believed to be contained and doctors did not think it had metastasized elsewhere. A plan was put in place and surgery was performed on April 2nd at UNC to remove the mass. Her recovery was progressing incredibly well until April 5th when she experienced a seizure. A subsequent ER visit revealed a tumor in her brain as well as some swelling which is what caused the seizure. It was determined that the renal cell carcinoma has likely spread and metastasized in her brain.

Next Step

After a round of consultations with multiple doctors, we determined that her care would best be facilitated at Duke University. This week (4/15) we will be meeting with her new team of doctors and oncologists to determine whether her treatment will start with surgery or radiation. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for Friday, 4/20 to remove the tumor in her brain. We have a strong team of incredible doctors and her confidence in them is unwavering.

Your Role

We share all these details to say, she needs and deeply desires your prayers. Our mom has two heartfelt requests. First, she has asked if everyone could consider donating just $1 to show that you’ve prayed for her. She has placed her trust in God and would be greatly comforted knowing you have joined her journey by praying for her and her medical team. Please pray for God to guide her medical teams’ skills and grant them wisdom as they intervene to help heal our mom. We also hope you will pray for God's healing presence to provide peace and comfort to our family.

Lastly, our mom wants to make a difference for the millions of lives that are affected by this terrible disease. We humbly ask that in addition to supporting our mom’s journey, you also consider contributing towards cancer research. Every dollar donated not only aids in her battle but also fuels the vital research needed to find better treatments and ultimately, a cure for renal cell carcinoma and other related diseases.

Thank you so much.