Jill Fights Back!
Donation protected
In March 2013 at the age of 49 Jill went in for a routine Pap. April 4 she got the call that she had a rare type of Cervical Cancer. Diagnosed as stage 1B2, her doctors decided a combo of chemo + radiation was the best route to attack her tumor.
6 grueling rounds of chemo, 25 exhausting external radiation treatments, and 3 internal radiation procedures later, she was thrilled to be done with this part of her journey on June 11 of the same year.
Her primary oncologist suggested waiting another 3 months to do a PET scan + biopsy with hopes that radiation would have worn off a bit by then and we would get clear results.
September came and Jill had high hopes that she would get the "cancer-free" go ahead, instead there were concerns that her uterus may now be diseased. The options were: wait 6 weeks for another scan or go ahead with a hysterectomy. She opted to do the surgery.
Wednesday September 25 she entered the OR at 11am for a 2 hour surgery and didn't leave until 7pm. When they went in to do the procedure they found the worst fistula her doctor had ever seen. What was left of her cervix had attached to her bladder - as well as a section of her uterus. The only way to un-attach it was to surgically remove her bladder from these other organs.
In doing so they came across some issues: her bladder has been severely damaged by radiation. When they went to repair it, the tissue was crumbling and difficult to work with. We are hoping that the repair was successful but only time will tell.
Her right kidney is stented but the left was incredibly swollen. It seems that radiation damaged that as well. They are giving it three months to become functioning again or it will need to be removed. The second day after surgery she was taken into the Radiology department to have a tube placed to drain this kidney. A stent was the ultimate goal but they gave a 15% success rate for it. Turns out they were able to do the stent. Huge praise! They hope that this will alleviate stress on her bladder so it can heal, as well as give the kidney a fighting chance.
During the kidney stent placement they discovered a Left Bundle Branch Block in her heart. This was a cause for concern because this was the first EEG she's had and they had nothing to compare it to. They did another EEG and it showed the block still there which is actually a good thing, it means that most likely she has had it her entire life.
Unfortunately pathology came back from her hysterectomy and found that not only was there cancer in her uterus but also her ovaries. Chemo was scheduled for mid-October, but Jill was back in the hospital due to blood clots forming in her lungs.
Chemo had to be put off while her doctors fought to dissolve the blood clots. October 18 they rushed her to the ER, only to find the clots had grown and multiplied. She continued to fight through extreme pain in the ICU, and set back after set back, Jill held hope that she would be healed.
In the early morning of October 28, just 7 months after diagnosis, at the age of 49, Jill went to be with Jesus. With her mother by her side, she was finally free from pain and disease.
Jill was been married to Pat for 32 years and they have 4 children: Angie, Joel, Sadie, and Abby - as well as a son in law and 3 grandchildren.
She devoted her life to helping others, in ministry, working with the poor and homeless - often times caring for those most wouldn't give the time of day to. She was both selfless and loving, and doesn't hesitate to sacrifice what she has so others don't go without.
We her family, created this page to help bring in some financial aid to assist with her medical bills, transportation and needs of the family during this horribly sad time. Thank you so much for your support.
6 grueling rounds of chemo, 25 exhausting external radiation treatments, and 3 internal radiation procedures later, she was thrilled to be done with this part of her journey on June 11 of the same year.
Her primary oncologist suggested waiting another 3 months to do a PET scan + biopsy with hopes that radiation would have worn off a bit by then and we would get clear results.
September came and Jill had high hopes that she would get the "cancer-free" go ahead, instead there were concerns that her uterus may now be diseased. The options were: wait 6 weeks for another scan or go ahead with a hysterectomy. She opted to do the surgery.
Wednesday September 25 she entered the OR at 11am for a 2 hour surgery and didn't leave until 7pm. When they went in to do the procedure they found the worst fistula her doctor had ever seen. What was left of her cervix had attached to her bladder - as well as a section of her uterus. The only way to un-attach it was to surgically remove her bladder from these other organs.
In doing so they came across some issues: her bladder has been severely damaged by radiation. When they went to repair it, the tissue was crumbling and difficult to work with. We are hoping that the repair was successful but only time will tell.
Her right kidney is stented but the left was incredibly swollen. It seems that radiation damaged that as well. They are giving it three months to become functioning again or it will need to be removed. The second day after surgery she was taken into the Radiology department to have a tube placed to drain this kidney. A stent was the ultimate goal but they gave a 15% success rate for it. Turns out they were able to do the stent. Huge praise! They hope that this will alleviate stress on her bladder so it can heal, as well as give the kidney a fighting chance.
During the kidney stent placement they discovered a Left Bundle Branch Block in her heart. This was a cause for concern because this was the first EEG she's had and they had nothing to compare it to. They did another EEG and it showed the block still there which is actually a good thing, it means that most likely she has had it her entire life.
Unfortunately pathology came back from her hysterectomy and found that not only was there cancer in her uterus but also her ovaries. Chemo was scheduled for mid-October, but Jill was back in the hospital due to blood clots forming in her lungs.
Chemo had to be put off while her doctors fought to dissolve the blood clots. October 18 they rushed her to the ER, only to find the clots had grown and multiplied. She continued to fight through extreme pain in the ICU, and set back after set back, Jill held hope that she would be healed.
In the early morning of October 28, just 7 months after diagnosis, at the age of 49, Jill went to be with Jesus. With her mother by her side, she was finally free from pain and disease.
Jill was been married to Pat for 32 years and they have 4 children: Angie, Joel, Sadie, and Abby - as well as a son in law and 3 grandchildren.
She devoted her life to helping others, in ministry, working with the poor and homeless - often times caring for those most wouldn't give the time of day to. She was both selfless and loving, and doesn't hesitate to sacrifice what she has so others don't go without.
We her family, created this page to help bring in some financial aid to assist with her medical bills, transportation and needs of the family during this horribly sad time. Thank you so much for your support.
Organizer
Angie Warren
Organizer
