Young Mom Fights Football-Sz Tumor

 “Help Young Mother KICK Football-Sized, Cancerous Tumor”

In July, 2015, my 32 year old sister, Leanne Kober, noticed blood in her urine which preempted a visit to her family doctor who diagnosed her with a UTI.  Unfortunately, the blood reappeared and she was referred to an urologist here in Lancaster, PA.  An MRI revealed a large mass on her right kidney, spots on her liver and lungs along with a diagnosis none of us wanted to hear - "cancer".  She was immediately referred to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.  A biopsy revealed a Wilm's tumor the size of a football that had metastasized into the lungs and liver. Wilm's tumor is much more common in children but extremely rare in adults.  The doctors at Thomas Jefferson, having never seen this before, consulted with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as well as doctors in Chicago to determine the best course of action.  They know that Wilm’s tumor responds well to chemo in children with a very good prognosis and a high rate of being curable.  The hope we as a family hold onto, is that it will prove to be the same in Leanne's case.  The challenge is what "cocktail of chemo" will be the best to attack a Wilm’s tumor in an adult.   

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Leanne will begin an intensive 6-week chemo treatment at Thomas Jefferson in hopes of shrinking the tumor which is too large at present to surgically remove along with her kidney.  I will be accompanying Leanne to and from Thomas Jefferson each week.

We are an extremely close family and while each of us has been touched by friends who have both survived and succumbed to the wrath of cancer, it becomes surreal when it affects one of us.  For the few people who know of Leanne's story, we have been embraced by their love and support.  This, along with God's continuous presence, is what sustains us as we rally around our loved one. 

Austin, Leanne's 8 year old son, needs just as much support thru this challenge as his mother. He has very little contact with his father and no financial support.  Now we communicate the obvious, that his mom, his security, will be battling cancer.

Leanne is a full-time pharmaceutical technician and doctors have advised that she be off work as she undergoes treatment.  Our hope is that a Go-Fund-Me campaign can be shared with friends, family, co-workers, anyone who might want to assist with offsetting expenses including medical, travel, time off work, and caring for Austin.  We want her focus to be on getting well. 

We’d like for Leanne to feel that she has a continuous circle of caring all around her.  Whether a contribution, note of encouragement, or prayers, ALL are heartfelt and appreciated!

We as a family thank you in advance for your support.