Help My Wife Fight Cancer

My wife and I have been married for 45 years and I have been lucky to have a partner who has always been committed to being there for anyone in need. If I had to use one word to describe my wife, it would be 'Selfless'. As a nurse, her selflessness has touched lives well beyond our immediate family (our kids and grandkids) as she has continually given of her time to make sure that others are well taken care of. It's just who she is.

As someone who has also been very careful with her diet, exercised regularly and has always been an advocate for wellness and stress management, it was quite a surprise to all of us when she was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma - a rare and very aggressive type of cancer.

For over 15 years, my wife has supported cancer survivors as the leader of a cancer support group so we all understand that early intervention is critical. Given the anatomy and nature of this type of cancer, she must start chemotherapy immediately.

Needless to say, this has been quite the rollercoaster for the entire family as early scans (including a detailed PET scan which was recently done) initially indicated that there was no cancer present. However, after having severe pain and having her gallbladder removed, tests revealed the presence of cancer that had metastasized and invaded the gallbladder. A subsequent MRI revealed the type of cancer and the extent of the spread, confirming that she is now at Stage 3.

The doctors have explained that this type of cancer needs to be treated urgently given its aggressiveness and location. It is our hope that chemotherapy will reduce the size of the tumors present so that doctors can successfully operate. The funds raised from this GoFundMe will go toward costs associated with her treatment.