Leesa's Fight to Beat the Odds
Donation protected
Our dear friend Leesa has been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. Inspired by her courage and commitment, Leesa’s family and friends are reaching out to everyone we know and seeking the generosity of strangers to help her with this fight.
Leesa is only 37 years old. She is a wife to Peter, mother of two beautiful children-Ayla (11) and Izak (9), a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, but most importantly to us, an amazing friend. Leesa lives in the community of Tuscany in Calgary. Over the years she has played a significant role in her community. She has always been an active volunteer at our local schools as well as many other organizations. Together we can return some of her dedication, caring and kindness by paying it forward.
Leesa’s journey began in spring of 2017 with mysterious pains in her abdomen. After many tests she never got any answers. In May of 2018, Leesa went to the emergency room where she had more tests and was sent home. After multiple trips to her doctor and even more tests, she was given antacids and was told to give them 3 months to see if there was improvement. Finally, upon advocating for her own self she was provided with a CT scan...scheduled for November 2018. With pure determination and feeling like she didn’t have the time to wait, on July 4th, Leesa went to a private clinic and paid for her own CT scan. On the eve of her CT scan she received the dreaded phone call with the doctor saying, “Can I come to your house?” Her doctor came over that night, sat on the couch with Leesa and Peter and said, “We found something on the tail of your pancreas. It looks like cancer.”
Leesa began her journey for the fight for her life on August 9th with surgery. Doctors removed 70% of her pancreas, her spleen, left adrenal gland and part of her stomach. The doctors felt hopeful with the margins but further testing would be needed. In October, Leesa began chemotherapy. Unfortunately, six weeks after the surgery spots appeared on her liver and Leesa was given a diagnosis of stage IV.
At this point in her journey Leesa, her family and health care professionals believe her best option is treatment by Dr. Kleef in Vienna, Austria. This treatment has shown positive results for her specific cancer but it comes with significant cost. Please help us raise money to ease the additional expenses this disease is putting on her family and help us provide funds for their trip to Vienna and treatment!
We would like to share today’s entry from Leesa’s blog. Words cannot be expressed with as much depth and feeling than from Leesa herself. Please see below her most recent blog post of her journey. Reader beware, grab the tissues! (If you would like to read her complete blog and stay up to date on Leesa’s journey please go to the following link and subscribe for updates.)
https://whoneedsapancreas.wordpress.com/
The words of Leesa Dolynchuk, November 4, 2018:
The last two weeks have probably been the most emotional weeks of my life. My positive and optimistic attitude once again plummeted and was replaced with a dark understanding of my mortality and the fear of leaving my family.
Before I started my second round of chemo we met with the oncologist and were giving news that I knew was coming but didn't want to face. My cancer had now metastasized to my liver. The goal of chemo has now changed from zapping any leftover cells and keeping the cancer from coming back, to just trying to slow down the growth of the liver mets and keep me as comfortable as possible. The median survival of stage IV pancreatic cancer is 4-6 months and the Folfirnox could extend that up to 4 months. Well, fuck...
I took the news with my standard "no big deal" smile and "I'm taking this as a challenge" attitude. There was no need to cry because those stats are not my story. I wanted to hear those numbers so I knew what I was up against and could accept the challenge. The oncologist wanted to know if I needed a break from this second round of chemo because of how hard the last one hit me. I assured him that I was good to go and ready to get the party started.
The second round started off so much better than the first. No vomiting during chemo and after finishing my appointment late and needing to get to my naturopath, I did an incredible speed walk to the car that made my shorty mom and sister have to run to catch up to me. I felt great! The next day knocked me down a bit, the following day the nausea hit again, and the vomiting started shortly thereafter. Once again I was out for 10 days and feeling so very awful.
I decided during this time that I couldn't continue with chemo. This wasn't living. To feel so awful for 10 out of every 14 days was too much. For what? An extra few months? How many months of my time was I wasting holed up in my room being sick to my stomach over and over again? No. I couldn't continue down this path. I had to stop.
I cried. I cried like I've never cried before. All the emotions that I had unknowingly been keeping bottled now spilled over and flooded my whole body. I felt weak. I felt like a fraud. Here I am being told over and over how strong I am. Told that I'm going to beat this. And now I felt like I was giving up, like I was letting everyone down. I thought of my kids growing up without a mom and it crushed me to the core.
I waited until I was feeling better and my head was clear before I made a decision. But feeling better only solidified my desire to hang onto these feel good moments and not go back to that sick place. After many emotional conversations with friends and family I knew I wasn't giving up. I was choosing to live. I wasn't being weak, I was using my strength to take back my life. I wanted to be there for as many moments with my kids as possible. I want to be able to have family outings and hang out with my friends. I wanted to feel well enough to do things more than 6 days out of every month. I wanted to LIVE.
My decision was made and it was time to talk to my oncologist. He didn't try to talk me out of my decision. He knew how hard these last rounds were on me, and he understood that it was about quality of life. In the end we decided to take a three week break from chemo and he scheduled me in to start a different chemo, Gemcitibine, which is much easier tolerated than the Folfirinox.
That night it was time to talk to the kids. I didn't want them to be blindsided thinking that Mommy was going to be cured if this cancer was going to progress as fast as the doctors thought it would. That was the single most heartbreaking conversation I have ever had. My daughter was angry, my son was confused, but they were both devastated. Just thinking back to that conversation makes the tears start again. To tell your kids that this might be the last Christmas you have together is soul crushing. But I wanted to be honest. I need my kids to trust me. And I want to make sure we make the most of our time together.
I've been using this break to research and weigh the benefits and side effects of switching to the new chemo or just continuing with naturopathic treatments. I had a talk with my naturopath to discuss what my options were for continuing treatment if I chose not to do chemo. One of those options is going to see Dr. Kleef in Vienna, Austria at his integrative oncology clinic. He does a variety of treatments including whole body hyperthermia, immunotherapy, and low dose chemo. They do comprehensive laboratory tests to make sure that the treatments he gives work to attack your individual cancer. My naturopath had mentioned this option before but knowing it was incredibly pricey and not having that sense of urgency like I currently had, I pushed that option aside. He then told me that one of his patients that had been to Dr. Kleef's clinic with great results was currently in the clinic and that he could introduce me.
Meeting Terri changed everything. He was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer a year and a half ago (already beating huge odds). He's been to Dr. Kleef's clinic twice and now only has one small tumor left in his liver that has already shrunk an incredible amount. He told me about the friends he met at the clinic who were all stage IV and are now in remission. He told me his story and I got goosebumps and felt hope. Real hope that I can actually beat this thing. I left the office giddy. I couldn't stop smiling. I wasn't sure how we'd come up with the money to make these treatments happen but I knew we'd find a way. Money isn't everything. This is my life and damnit, I'm going to do everything I can to be here for my kids.
Since then I've contacted Dr. Kleef's office, filled out the paperwork and will hopefully have a Skype consultation with him early this week. If all goes well I will be accepted as a patient and will be headed to Vienna shortly with the family for 4-6 weeks while I get treatment. I'm nervous, anxious and excited to take this huge leap of faith towards healing.
For all my praying friends, please pray that I will be accepted as a patient and that we can make all of this happen soon to start my journey of healing.
For more information on Dr. Kleef's clinic, check out the link below:
http://dr-kleef.at/en/our_institute
Leesa is only 37 years old. She is a wife to Peter, mother of two beautiful children-Ayla (11) and Izak (9), a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, but most importantly to us, an amazing friend. Leesa lives in the community of Tuscany in Calgary. Over the years she has played a significant role in her community. She has always been an active volunteer at our local schools as well as many other organizations. Together we can return some of her dedication, caring and kindness by paying it forward.
Leesa’s journey began in spring of 2017 with mysterious pains in her abdomen. After many tests she never got any answers. In May of 2018, Leesa went to the emergency room where she had more tests and was sent home. After multiple trips to her doctor and even more tests, she was given antacids and was told to give them 3 months to see if there was improvement. Finally, upon advocating for her own self she was provided with a CT scan...scheduled for November 2018. With pure determination and feeling like she didn’t have the time to wait, on July 4th, Leesa went to a private clinic and paid for her own CT scan. On the eve of her CT scan she received the dreaded phone call with the doctor saying, “Can I come to your house?” Her doctor came over that night, sat on the couch with Leesa and Peter and said, “We found something on the tail of your pancreas. It looks like cancer.”
Leesa began her journey for the fight for her life on August 9th with surgery. Doctors removed 70% of her pancreas, her spleen, left adrenal gland and part of her stomach. The doctors felt hopeful with the margins but further testing would be needed. In October, Leesa began chemotherapy. Unfortunately, six weeks after the surgery spots appeared on her liver and Leesa was given a diagnosis of stage IV.
At this point in her journey Leesa, her family and health care professionals believe her best option is treatment by Dr. Kleef in Vienna, Austria. This treatment has shown positive results for her specific cancer but it comes with significant cost. Please help us raise money to ease the additional expenses this disease is putting on her family and help us provide funds for their trip to Vienna and treatment!
We would like to share today’s entry from Leesa’s blog. Words cannot be expressed with as much depth and feeling than from Leesa herself. Please see below her most recent blog post of her journey. Reader beware, grab the tissues! (If you would like to read her complete blog and stay up to date on Leesa’s journey please go to the following link and subscribe for updates.)
https://whoneedsapancreas.wordpress.com/
The words of Leesa Dolynchuk, November 4, 2018:
The last two weeks have probably been the most emotional weeks of my life. My positive and optimistic attitude once again plummeted and was replaced with a dark understanding of my mortality and the fear of leaving my family.
Before I started my second round of chemo we met with the oncologist and were giving news that I knew was coming but didn't want to face. My cancer had now metastasized to my liver. The goal of chemo has now changed from zapping any leftover cells and keeping the cancer from coming back, to just trying to slow down the growth of the liver mets and keep me as comfortable as possible. The median survival of stage IV pancreatic cancer is 4-6 months and the Folfirnox could extend that up to 4 months. Well, fuck...
I took the news with my standard "no big deal" smile and "I'm taking this as a challenge" attitude. There was no need to cry because those stats are not my story. I wanted to hear those numbers so I knew what I was up against and could accept the challenge. The oncologist wanted to know if I needed a break from this second round of chemo because of how hard the last one hit me. I assured him that I was good to go and ready to get the party started.
The second round started off so much better than the first. No vomiting during chemo and after finishing my appointment late and needing to get to my naturopath, I did an incredible speed walk to the car that made my shorty mom and sister have to run to catch up to me. I felt great! The next day knocked me down a bit, the following day the nausea hit again, and the vomiting started shortly thereafter. Once again I was out for 10 days and feeling so very awful.
I decided during this time that I couldn't continue with chemo. This wasn't living. To feel so awful for 10 out of every 14 days was too much. For what? An extra few months? How many months of my time was I wasting holed up in my room being sick to my stomach over and over again? No. I couldn't continue down this path. I had to stop.
I cried. I cried like I've never cried before. All the emotions that I had unknowingly been keeping bottled now spilled over and flooded my whole body. I felt weak. I felt like a fraud. Here I am being told over and over how strong I am. Told that I'm going to beat this. And now I felt like I was giving up, like I was letting everyone down. I thought of my kids growing up without a mom and it crushed me to the core.
I waited until I was feeling better and my head was clear before I made a decision. But feeling better only solidified my desire to hang onto these feel good moments and not go back to that sick place. After many emotional conversations with friends and family I knew I wasn't giving up. I was choosing to live. I wasn't being weak, I was using my strength to take back my life. I wanted to be there for as many moments with my kids as possible. I want to be able to have family outings and hang out with my friends. I wanted to feel well enough to do things more than 6 days out of every month. I wanted to LIVE.
My decision was made and it was time to talk to my oncologist. He didn't try to talk me out of my decision. He knew how hard these last rounds were on me, and he understood that it was about quality of life. In the end we decided to take a three week break from chemo and he scheduled me in to start a different chemo, Gemcitibine, which is much easier tolerated than the Folfirinox.
That night it was time to talk to the kids. I didn't want them to be blindsided thinking that Mommy was going to be cured if this cancer was going to progress as fast as the doctors thought it would. That was the single most heartbreaking conversation I have ever had. My daughter was angry, my son was confused, but they were both devastated. Just thinking back to that conversation makes the tears start again. To tell your kids that this might be the last Christmas you have together is soul crushing. But I wanted to be honest. I need my kids to trust me. And I want to make sure we make the most of our time together.
I've been using this break to research and weigh the benefits and side effects of switching to the new chemo or just continuing with naturopathic treatments. I had a talk with my naturopath to discuss what my options were for continuing treatment if I chose not to do chemo. One of those options is going to see Dr. Kleef in Vienna, Austria at his integrative oncology clinic. He does a variety of treatments including whole body hyperthermia, immunotherapy, and low dose chemo. They do comprehensive laboratory tests to make sure that the treatments he gives work to attack your individual cancer. My naturopath had mentioned this option before but knowing it was incredibly pricey and not having that sense of urgency like I currently had, I pushed that option aside. He then told me that one of his patients that had been to Dr. Kleef's clinic with great results was currently in the clinic and that he could introduce me.
Meeting Terri changed everything. He was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer a year and a half ago (already beating huge odds). He's been to Dr. Kleef's clinic twice and now only has one small tumor left in his liver that has already shrunk an incredible amount. He told me about the friends he met at the clinic who were all stage IV and are now in remission. He told me his story and I got goosebumps and felt hope. Real hope that I can actually beat this thing. I left the office giddy. I couldn't stop smiling. I wasn't sure how we'd come up with the money to make these treatments happen but I knew we'd find a way. Money isn't everything. This is my life and damnit, I'm going to do everything I can to be here for my kids.
Since then I've contacted Dr. Kleef's office, filled out the paperwork and will hopefully have a Skype consultation with him early this week. If all goes well I will be accepted as a patient and will be headed to Vienna shortly with the family for 4-6 weeks while I get treatment. I'm nervous, anxious and excited to take this huge leap of faith towards healing.
For all my praying friends, please pray that I will be accepted as a patient and that we can make all of this happen soon to start my journey of healing.
For more information on Dr. Kleef's clinic, check out the link below:
http://dr-kleef.at/en/our_institute
Organizer and beneficiary
Deenise Campbell Karen Kelm
Organizer
Calgary, AB
Leesa Dolynchuk
Beneficiary
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