Dede Stage 4 Cancer; Esophageal

Dede Tyler is a 1981 alum from Morse High School in Bath Me. She has an infectious smile and a wicked good sense of humor :-). She is an athlete who suffered bouts of acid reflux during work outs.This predisposition has led to esophageal junction cancer. She currently is on medical leave from Lubec Elementary School where she is the Physical Education teacher. She has medical insurance but the plan only covers a portion of her costs.

Adenocarcinoma is an aggressive form of cancer. There currently is no screening done for this type of cancer and it is usually not detected until symptoms appear and staging late. It is wrapped around the distal end of her esophagus and is moving into the stomach. It is stage 3 but there are no infected nodes detected which is good news.

Her treatment plan is a tri-modality, which means chemo/radiation for 5 weeks to shrink the growth. She then will be retested with a PET/CT scan to determine whether surgery is feasible. If surgery is an option, it will be done at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston followed by post opt chemo/radiation treatments. She has a long road ahead but she is otherwise in good shape, youthful, spirited and has all of our support to help her get through this ordeal.

She is currently having trouble keeping food/water down because the radiation has irritated the tumor making swallowing difficult. A feeding tube will be inserted soon to increase calorie intake and keep weight on. Dehydration is an issue as well. She currently weighs 117lbs.

Donations of any amount are appreciated, not food. Also, if you could send an e-card or post a memorable story about good ole DDT. (edit to PG-13)

For those of you who prefer sending snail mail her address at P.O. Box 117, Round Pond ME 04564.

CLASS OF 81  WE CAN DO THIS! Let's help Dede kick the big C to the curb for GOOD!