Kerri & the Daywalker Fight Cancer
Donation protected
After a long struggle with infertility, Matt and I received the joyous news that our IVF cycle had been successful in March. In June we learned we would be having a little boy and named him Laurence "Lance" Russell Rose.
In June I also began to experience severe acid reflux. I was told that it is normal in pregnancy. I was to take Zantac twice a day, Tums as needed, and avoid trigger foods like tomatoes. I began to go through dozens of extra strength Tums a day and even then experienced only minor relief. In July I lost the desire to eat. It was a constant battle every day to eat at least 1800 calories. Matt began to feel more like an enforcer than a husband as he had to check my food diary every day and force me to drink at least two Ensure Plus shakes every day. They are only 6 ounces each and I still struggled to finish one in under an hour. Most days I regurgitated the contents of my esophagus at least thrice.
Throughout July I became weaker and weaker. By the end I couldn't go more than 20 steps without taking a rest. My heart would feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. I couldn't even make it to the bathroom in my house without taking a rest in between. At this point the doctors just thought I was constantly dehydrated and continued to urge increased fluid intake.
On August 3 I went in for a routine prenatal check. Luckily it included a CBC blood panel because despite my obvious fatigue and pallor the doctor didn't comment. That evening I received a call that my numbers were "a little low" and to please go to the hospital to see the on-call physician. Once I arrived I was informed my HGB, the hemoglobin that carries oxygen to your body, was at 3. The doctor couldn't believe I was still conscious let alone walking around at all. A standard number is at least 10 and preferably above 12. I was given six units of blood. My husband Matt nicknamed Lance "Daywalker" after the movie Blade. Then the hunt began for the cause.
Earlier in July I had noticed a slight lump on my clavicle. It was small and didn't hurt, but I went to my primary care physician since I was pregnant. She wasn't too concerned and thought it was probably just a swollen lymph node. On August 4, while still in the hospital after receiving all the blood, the consulting Hematologist orderd a core needle biopsy of the lump. The leading theory of my blood loss was an ulcer, but because of my pregnancy the consulting Gastroenterologist wanted to avoid an endoscope. The biopsy was presented as just a precaution. The plan was after it came back clear we would start treatment for an ucler and do an endoscope after I gave birth.
On August 11 we met with the hematologist. He led with, "it's not lymphoma." Great news, right? Then he shattered our world by immediately following that statement with "but it is STAGE IV GI cancer." At that point we didn't know where the tumor was, only that it had originated somewhere in the digestive system, stomach, intestines, colon, etc. and metastasized to the lymph nodes in my neck.
A flurry of activity began after that. I was immediately scheduled for an MRI and endoscope to pinpoint the location of the tumor. All the oncologist could tell us at that point was to hope for a location closer to the colon because those cancers are easier to treat. No such luck. The endoscope pinpointed an 8 cm tumor in my stomach just below the gastroesophageal valve.
I am a 32 year old woman about to give birth to her first child. I have stage IV adenocarcinoma.
Working with the oncologist and perinatolgist we decided to perform one round of chemotheraphy then induce labor at 32 wees. My son will go immediately to the NICU upon his birth. Chemotheraphy will resume 1-2 weeks after he is born assuming I have healed sufficiently.
Unfortunately this type of tumor does not respond well to chemotherapy. It has a poor survival rate. However, I am far outside the normal sufferer, who is typcially over 60 and male. I have everything to live for and intend to be around to raise my son.
Everyone in our lives has been incredibly generous so far. Once we knew the baby would be arriving early everyone came together to ready the house and nursery and threw an amazing baby shower in less than two weeks. We've received enough food for an army already with more to come. My employer has been extremely flexible about last minute tests and midafternoon naps.
Luckily I have both short-term and long-term disability plans. Unfortunately they will not cover all of my lost wages. Additionally we will very probably need to travel to UPenn in the future for advanced and experimental treatments. As I mentioned, my type of cancer doesn't respond well to chemo, but UPenn has been pioneering both immunotherapy and proton inhibitor treatments. Insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us so far. We are grateful for everything we have already received. If all you are able to do is share this link, that is still a great help to us.
In June I also began to experience severe acid reflux. I was told that it is normal in pregnancy. I was to take Zantac twice a day, Tums as needed, and avoid trigger foods like tomatoes. I began to go through dozens of extra strength Tums a day and even then experienced only minor relief. In July I lost the desire to eat. It was a constant battle every day to eat at least 1800 calories. Matt began to feel more like an enforcer than a husband as he had to check my food diary every day and force me to drink at least two Ensure Plus shakes every day. They are only 6 ounces each and I still struggled to finish one in under an hour. Most days I regurgitated the contents of my esophagus at least thrice.
Throughout July I became weaker and weaker. By the end I couldn't go more than 20 steps without taking a rest. My heart would feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. I couldn't even make it to the bathroom in my house without taking a rest in between. At this point the doctors just thought I was constantly dehydrated and continued to urge increased fluid intake.
On August 3 I went in for a routine prenatal check. Luckily it included a CBC blood panel because despite my obvious fatigue and pallor the doctor didn't comment. That evening I received a call that my numbers were "a little low" and to please go to the hospital to see the on-call physician. Once I arrived I was informed my HGB, the hemoglobin that carries oxygen to your body, was at 3. The doctor couldn't believe I was still conscious let alone walking around at all. A standard number is at least 10 and preferably above 12. I was given six units of blood. My husband Matt nicknamed Lance "Daywalker" after the movie Blade. Then the hunt began for the cause.
Earlier in July I had noticed a slight lump on my clavicle. It was small and didn't hurt, but I went to my primary care physician since I was pregnant. She wasn't too concerned and thought it was probably just a swollen lymph node. On August 4, while still in the hospital after receiving all the blood, the consulting Hematologist orderd a core needle biopsy of the lump. The leading theory of my blood loss was an ulcer, but because of my pregnancy the consulting Gastroenterologist wanted to avoid an endoscope. The biopsy was presented as just a precaution. The plan was after it came back clear we would start treatment for an ucler and do an endoscope after I gave birth.
On August 11 we met with the hematologist. He led with, "it's not lymphoma." Great news, right? Then he shattered our world by immediately following that statement with "but it is STAGE IV GI cancer." At that point we didn't know where the tumor was, only that it had originated somewhere in the digestive system, stomach, intestines, colon, etc. and metastasized to the lymph nodes in my neck.
A flurry of activity began after that. I was immediately scheduled for an MRI and endoscope to pinpoint the location of the tumor. All the oncologist could tell us at that point was to hope for a location closer to the colon because those cancers are easier to treat. No such luck. The endoscope pinpointed an 8 cm tumor in my stomach just below the gastroesophageal valve.
I am a 32 year old woman about to give birth to her first child. I have stage IV adenocarcinoma.
Working with the oncologist and perinatolgist we decided to perform one round of chemotheraphy then induce labor at 32 wees. My son will go immediately to the NICU upon his birth. Chemotheraphy will resume 1-2 weeks after he is born assuming I have healed sufficiently.
Unfortunately this type of tumor does not respond well to chemotherapy. It has a poor survival rate. However, I am far outside the normal sufferer, who is typcially over 60 and male. I have everything to live for and intend to be around to raise my son.
Everyone in our lives has been incredibly generous so far. Once we knew the baby would be arriving early everyone came together to ready the house and nursery and threw an amazing baby shower in less than two weeks. We've received enough food for an army already with more to come. My employer has been extremely flexible about last minute tests and midafternoon naps.
Luckily I have both short-term and long-term disability plans. Unfortunately they will not cover all of my lost wages. Additionally we will very probably need to travel to UPenn in the future for advanced and experimental treatments. As I mentioned, my type of cancer doesn't respond well to chemo, but UPenn has been pioneering both immunotherapy and proton inhibitor treatments. Insurance will only cover a fraction of the cost.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us so far. We are grateful for everything we have already received. If all you are able to do is share this link, that is still a great help to us.
Organizer
Kerri Rose
Organizer
Alexandria, VA