JOY for JOY

Joy was diagnosed in 2014 with colon cancer after living with ulcerative colitis since age 8. Joy was initially staged with stage 3 after an emergency surgery due to bowel perforation. This was one year after we got married - I was 26 and joy was 33, I think. Joy completed FOLFOX chemotherapy after that surgery, and was NED (no evidence of disease) until 2016. Joy had an upcoming surgery scheduled for a potential j-pouch and on the pre surgical testing scan, a re-occurrence of cancer was found to the ovaries. Surgery was then completed for a hysterectomy, tumor removal, and total abdominal reconstruction. This was a 12 hour surgery. Joy remained NED until 2018, when another reoccurrence was found during another presurgical scan. This time the reoccurance was found in the lymph nodes. Her first occurance was found to be adenocarcinoma, second occurance was found to be adenocarcinoid (neuroendocrine), and the 3rd occurrence was adenocarcinoma again. Joy started FOLFRI as treatment however had a severe reaction to the drug. FOLFOX wasn't a great option due to her liver enzymes escalating the last time she was on it. She was informed by her treatment team that Any kind of chemo this time, if it was even effective, would only give her another year of time. Without treatment, the doctor said she would have 6months to a year depending on how things progress. After long hard discussions with her treatment team, Joy made the choice to live her life to the fullest. She chose quality of life over quantity of life, and to live the rest of her life on her own terms. "Finally"she said, she can "be free" and be herself until she is called home . As in the Harry Potter deathly hallows story; she is choosing to take off her cloak of invisibility and to great death as equals and as an old friend. "Death is but the next great adventure" -Albus Dumbledore

T-Shirts in support of Joy are available here