Help WENDY FIGHT OVARIAN CANCER

My good friend Rena Johnson’s mom has ovarian cancer.
Wendy is a 55 y/o Worcester MA resident that is fighting for her life. She is a caring mother, grandmother, wife and friend. From 2005 -2008, she was experiencing lower back pain and irregular menstrual cycles. After many gynecologist appointments and ultra sounds, she was finally diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. So, in November 2008 she was hospitalized for a routine hysterectomy. Little did she know that her and her families lives were about to change forever. Unfortunately, she woke up from anesthesia hearing the words “I’m sorry, but you have stage 3C ovarian cancer”. She was then told that the cancer was in her lymph nodes and bowels.
During the surgery they had to do a bowel resection and debulking surgery. Following the surgery she acquired a nosocomial infection in the surgical incision. This infection further complicated her healing process, and caused a delay in her chemotherapy treatment. After the infection healed, Wendy underwent 6 cycles of intravenous and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Following the debulking surgery and chemo, there was no evidence of disease.
Sadly, her cancer returned, and she had to do another 6 cycles of chemo therapy. She finished her second chemo therapy regime 10 months ago. After completing her chemotherapy, she was physically and emotionally weak. To make matters worse, there was a horrible incident involving her youngest daughter, so her health became even more compromised.                                                Recently, she was just diagnosed with another reoccurrence. Her oncologist is recommending another surgery, and chemotherapy.
Typically ovarian cancer is not diagnosed until stage 3c –4. According to many ovarian cancer education sites and doctors, ovarian cancer is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers, and it is the 5th leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. Statistically speaking, Wendy is very fortunate to be alive today. Although her doctors are doing their best with offering conventional surgery and chemotherapy, statistics show that her cancer will continue to reoccur and eventually her cancer will not respond to treatment.
Her daughter Rena Johnson is an Oncology nurse, and has been researching different treatment options. Wendy and her children feel like the only way to survive ovarian cancer is to try and supplement the available treatment options. Luckily, Wendy is an ideal candidate for a new vaccine clinical trial. During this trial, she would undergo surgery to remove the cancerous tumor. The tumor would be sent to a lab. In the lab the scientists/doctors take the tumor and create a vaccine. After recovering from surgery, she would have another 6 cycles of chemo, and then the vaccine injections. There are no guarantees, but there is hope that her body would build up an immune response to the cancer. After being diagnosed with cancer, and the tragic event that she experienced, her family has exhausted all of their finances. In order for Wendy to try something that could potentially treat her cancer, she has to be able to travel out of state, and pay for many other expenses. As of now, she is experiencing a financial hardship, so this is not a valid option.
Wendy is willing to be a “guinea pig”. She wants to participate in this trial in hopes that it will help her and other women in the future.
Wendy is too young to succumb to this illness! She’s a fighter, with a strong-will to survive. She needs to fight this beast with new options; otherwise she may be another statistic to the disease.
To make a long story short, Wendy needs help! She is facing a deadly disease. This family has been through a lot! Let’s try and help this family overcome their financial burden, so Wendy can try and beat this awful disease!