Theresa Gannon- In Lieu of Flowers
Donation protected
Heaven gained a beautiful angel on Thursday, May 20th. You would never know from the outside, but my mom was extremely sick for almost 20 years. She was private about the battles she faced, and it wasn’t my story to tell until now. She was diagnosed with carcinoid cancer with carcinoid heart syndrome when I was in 5th grade. Carcinoid cancer is a slow-growing type of neuroendocrine tumor, and the heart syndrome lets off a hormone that destroys the heart valves. Her symptoms were what they originally thought were rosacea & shortness of breath. She was first misdiagnosed with liver cancer because that’s where it metastasized. It was treated wrong with chemo and unnecessarily with radiation. She was told she would need a heart & liver transplant. My mom started her care at a local hospital that helped my mom-mom beat her battle with breast cancer in the ’70s when everyone else wrote her off. However, the Medical Oncologist my mom saw refused to admit his lack of knowledge on this rare cancer and instead proceeded to treat her incorrectly. His greed & lack of morals exacerbated when he referred my mom to his son, a Radiation Oncologist for the radiation treatments.
Seeking a second opinion from medical experts at the University of Pennsylvania saved her life. The patient care team was dismayed by her previous treatment plan. After many prayers to Saint Padre Pio, we were thankful for her new doctors who set up a specialized treatment plan. Along her journey, she crossed paths with amazing doctors including Dr. Susan Brozena, Dr. Weijing Sun, Dr. Constantine M. Chaknos, Dr. Michael Soulen, and Dr. Ursina Teitelbaum. Two heart valves were replaced & many chemo embolizations were done. Her condition required monthly shots for the rest of her life to keep her symptoms & disease at bay. One of her heart valves immediately did not take. She had congestive heart failure & remained on coumadin for the afib.
10 years later, she faced a 2nd primary cancer in her right kidney, and then a few years later in her left kidney. This renal cell cancer was incidentally found on a routine bi-annual MRI. Both tumors were removed by ablation but diminished her renal function. The manifestation of kidney cancer was likely the result of unnecessary radiation years earlier. Although very rare, radiation is known to cause secondary malignancy years down the road.
Right after my wedding in Nov. 2019, she started dialysis because her kidneys started to fail. She completed dialysis overnight daily & we would help her with a second dialysis exchange each night around dinner time. About a month ago, a reaction of dialysis and Coumadin lead to the onset of another rare disease, calciphylaxis. Calciphylaxis is calcium that forms in the blood vessels & produces severe pain in her legs. The medicine needed to treat this constantly made her sick. When she was admitted to the hospital we never imagined she wouldn’t make it out. Things took a turn for the worse Wednesday night, and all her organs began failing. My Dad, brother, and I were fortunate to see her while she was still with it. She left us Thursday morning with us by her side.
My Mom was a fighter until the end. Despite her rare & complicated medical history, she defied all odds. We are so lucky to have called her our Mother & for our Dad a wife. She taught us strength, courage, faith, love, and most importantly positivity in the most difficult of times. You never know what personal battles someone faces daily, so always choose kindness & a smile. My Mom & our family carried a lot for such a long time, but we never lost hope. Life is full of lessons so I hope you listen to your body, challenge the doctors, & never be afraid to get a 2nd opinion. Sometimes you have to be your own advocate.
Donations funds will be split equally among St. Vincent De Paul Society at Incarnation Church in Mantua, NJ, Run for the Stripes that donates to a Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, and Little Free Library. I plan on putting a Little Free Library ( take a book, share a book) in front of my house in memory of my Mom & her love for reading. Go fund me only allowed you to directly set up donations to one charity, and we could not pick just one to honor my Mom.
Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. - Jessica Marucci, Bill & Stephen Gannon
Seeking a second opinion from medical experts at the University of Pennsylvania saved her life. The patient care team was dismayed by her previous treatment plan. After many prayers to Saint Padre Pio, we were thankful for her new doctors who set up a specialized treatment plan. Along her journey, she crossed paths with amazing doctors including Dr. Susan Brozena, Dr. Weijing Sun, Dr. Constantine M. Chaknos, Dr. Michael Soulen, and Dr. Ursina Teitelbaum. Two heart valves were replaced & many chemo embolizations were done. Her condition required monthly shots for the rest of her life to keep her symptoms & disease at bay. One of her heart valves immediately did not take. She had congestive heart failure & remained on coumadin for the afib.
10 years later, she faced a 2nd primary cancer in her right kidney, and then a few years later in her left kidney. This renal cell cancer was incidentally found on a routine bi-annual MRI. Both tumors were removed by ablation but diminished her renal function. The manifestation of kidney cancer was likely the result of unnecessary radiation years earlier. Although very rare, radiation is known to cause secondary malignancy years down the road.
Right after my wedding in Nov. 2019, she started dialysis because her kidneys started to fail. She completed dialysis overnight daily & we would help her with a second dialysis exchange each night around dinner time. About a month ago, a reaction of dialysis and Coumadin lead to the onset of another rare disease, calciphylaxis. Calciphylaxis is calcium that forms in the blood vessels & produces severe pain in her legs. The medicine needed to treat this constantly made her sick. When she was admitted to the hospital we never imagined she wouldn’t make it out. Things took a turn for the worse Wednesday night, and all her organs began failing. My Dad, brother, and I were fortunate to see her while she was still with it. She left us Thursday morning with us by her side.
My Mom was a fighter until the end. Despite her rare & complicated medical history, she defied all odds. We are so lucky to have called her our Mother & for our Dad a wife. She taught us strength, courage, faith, love, and most importantly positivity in the most difficult of times. You never know what personal battles someone faces daily, so always choose kindness & a smile. My Mom & our family carried a lot for such a long time, but we never lost hope. Life is full of lessons so I hope you listen to your body, challenge the doctors, & never be afraid to get a 2nd opinion. Sometimes you have to be your own advocate.
Donations funds will be split equally among St. Vincent De Paul Society at Incarnation Church in Mantua, NJ, Run for the Stripes that donates to a Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at the University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center, and Little Free Library. I plan on putting a Little Free Library ( take a book, share a book) in front of my house in memory of my Mom & her love for reading. Go fund me only allowed you to directly set up donations to one charity, and we could not pick just one to honor my Mom.
Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. - Jessica Marucci, Bill & Stephen Gannon
Organizer
Jessica Marucci
Organizer
Mickleton, NJ