Join Delaney’s Fight Against Lymphoma

Hi, my name is Stacie Hood. I along with our esteemed WHS girl’s basketball coach Kevin Murphy, would like to reach out for assistance from our Wildcat family and local Williamsport community to support one of our own. Delaney Cole celebrated her 18th birthday in March, graduated this past May, and was looking forward to beginning her next phase in life in college. Delaney is a quiet, but witty personality. She graduated top 5% of her class, while participating in 4 years of soccer as well as 4 years of basketball. She along with her sister Rileigh, have kept the basketball tradition going in her family. One that started with her grandmother Anne (Burger) Woody, and continued to her All American Aunt, Lindsey Plotner before the Cole sisters took over. Her grandfather Larry Plotner has been a long time supporter of his granddaughter’s athletics, as well as the basketball program, even working the concession stand.

Delaney was diagnosed in September with lymphoma. Her mom, Emily Parker has been with Delaney through numerous weeks long admissions at Johns Hopkins hospital, reducing the family income. Let’s see if we can help the family by making thinks a tad bit easier.

So Delaney’s Story:

Delaney’s story:

A month after her 18th birthday, Delaney suddenly had excruciating jaw pain. We tried all sorts of over-the-counter pain relief, and a visit to the dentist who recommended a night guard, none of which helped. Eventually the pain subsided, but then the headaches started. In May of this year, Delaney graduated in the top 5% of her class from Williamsport high school. Her headaches continued, but she was able to get some relief from Tylenol or Excedrin migraine, things of that nature. Eventually, the headaches were coming more frequently, lasting longer and the over-the-counter meds were not working. In mid June she saw her pediatrician who had several possible reasons for what she was experiencing. The Dr gave us a few things to try and told us to come back in 30 days, July 18th was our follow up appointment. At the follow up her Dr was still concerned that Delaney‘s headaches had not resolved and referred us to a local neurologist in Hagerstown. July 19th, one day after seeing the pediatrician, Delaney got another headache. This one was the worst she had ever experienced and ended up not resolving no matter what we did. We weren’t able to see the neurologist until 8/5, at which point several migraine medications were prescribed and a MRI requested. During the waiting period for appointments, Delaney’s symptoms worsened. She ended up with severe nausea and vomiting, exhaustion, double vision, and still maintained the excruciating headache. It took an additional week for her MRI to be scheduled bc of an insurance issue, but once completed we were seen immediately by the neurologist for follow up. At that time the Dr said “something was growing where it should not be” and sent us immediately to the ER to be seen by the oncologist, saying that would be the fastest way to get in with them.

Once there the oncologist said what Delaney had was a rare brain tumor and referred us out to a specialist in Pittsburgh.

It is now September, Delaney is still dealing with numerous symptoms, pain and had lost 12lbs from everything she was going through.

UPMC in Pittsburgh wasn’t quite convinced of her diagnosis and wanted to run tests of their own. Delaney went through 3 days of every test imaginable, before telling us they thought she had a more common type of brain tumor than what the initial report had said. The surgery they had scheduled was now going to be done as a biopsy, and after 3 hours in the operating room, the Dr came out and told us that they had no what they were dealing with. The pathologist in the OR couldn’t identify it, but it definitely was neither type of brain tumor mentioned before.

We would have to wait until the biopsy sample to return for more information.

Unfortunately when it did come back, it was not the best news, diffuse Large B cell lymphoma. An aggressive and fast growing cancer that would need immediate treatment.

They sent us back home to get scheduled with the oncologist we had seen in the ER, we are now in early October.

The day after we returned home, we had follow up with the Hagerstown oncologist who said because of her age and other conditions, she would need treatment at John’s Hopkins and he would take care of sending out the referral.

A week later and no word from JH, I called myself to find out they had nothing on her.

It took a little bit of scrambling to get the images and Dr’s notes from all over down to them, but we did it only to be told there was another issue with insurance. I called the insurance company and anyone I could to try and confirm coverage. Amidst the waiting, Delaney started with more symptoms, and fed up I just said forget it and took her down to the children’s ER at Hopkins. They were totally prepared for us, moving quickly to get the process going; that was October 14th.

Since then she has had several rounds of chemo. Unfortunately her body seems very susceptible to the side affects of the drugs and treatments so far have resulted in 2-3 week stays each time. She’s currently admitted again for another course of chemo, this one bringing new and very painful side effects. She may not think it at the moment, but she is stronger than what she realizes and the hope is that the next scan shows progress being made on the attack of the cancer.