Debbie and her girls always refer to themselves as Team Kelley.  This small family unit of three was hit with a difficult blow last month.  Debbie was diagnosed with advanced metastasized ovarian cancer.  After receiving two different clinical opinions, she is opting to for radical cytoreduction surgery as recommended by Dana Farber.  She and I will leave for Boson on December 13th.  Surgery is scheduled for December 14th, it is expected she'll be hospitalized for approximately four additional days after surgery.  In order to focus all her energy on fighting this disease and her two amazing children Shawna (age 9) and Izzy (age 7),  Debbie has left her job as a physical therapist for the moment.  Above is my favorite picture from Team Kelley's 2017, adoption day! 

We have had a number of people offer assistance and we appreciate all the assistance.  Prayers, thoughts, well wishes, positive notes, are all ammunition in Team Kelley’s fight against this insidious disease.  Some people have asked if they could donate money to help Debbie and the girls through the battle ahead to cover her costs of medical co-pays, medications, and other expenses associated with this illness.  This format seems to be the easiest way for those donations to be taken, should anyone wish to contribute. Please know,  Debbie is grateful for the outpouring of love and support, she is not asking for monetary support.  That being said, she is pragmatic about the needs of the months, and potentially, years ahead.   

Team Kelley is strong, and they have a good plan for fighting this illness.  "Battle One" consists of the surgery and a six-week recovery before starting chemotherapy.  The first round of chemotherapy is expected to continue through the end of May or first of June on a twenty-one-day schedule. Ovarian cancer is “sneaky” and reoccurrences are expected, but for today, Debbie is focused on knocking out this cancer in the first round of treatment!

If you wish to follow her journey there is a care community website at:
http://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/kelley-strong

Thank you to all those that are supporting my sister Debbie and her girls with love and caring. 

Patricia Kelley Poulin,
Debbie's sister