Support for the Barry Family Through Cancer
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The last few months for one of my closest friends and her husband has been a roller coaster of emotions. This is a story you have to read...
With her and her husbands permission to share their story, I've created this page in hopes to raise funds for anything that they might need some help with during these trying times.
Here is Their Story
This beautiful couple was married in 2015, purchased their first home in 2016 and on December 8 2018, Michelle (26) & Michael Barry (30) found out they were pregnant with their first child! Things couldn’t be better.
Michelle’s pregnancy was going well, and the baby was healthy. One morning in May, Mike woke up with a small hernia on his belly button. They didn’t think much of it at the time as Mike exercised on a daily basis and they figured it was just gym inflicted. He went to the doctor to get it looked at and was scheduled to see a surgeon to get it repaired.
As time went on Mike began experiencing abdominal discomfort such as a distention and acid reflux. The hernia site grew more painful and started to become bigger. He returned to his family doctor to discuss the new symptoms. The doctor said it was possible that he was developing gastric ulcers due to stress. He was scheduled for x-rays to make sure his intestines weren’t coming through the hernia and a CT scan to see if they could locate the ulcers.
Before Mike was scheduled for the CT, he saw the surgeon who looked at his hernia and said he could repair it. The Surgeon said that they would like to do an endoscope to see the ulcers as x-rays and CT won't always show them. From there they received the surgery date which unfortunately was very close to Michelle’s due date. It was so close that her doctor wanted to schedule her for an induction to be sure Mike could be there for the birth of their child. As Michelle’s due date and Mike’s surgery date was quickly approaching, Mikes' symptoms continued to worsen, and his abdomen continued to distend. He went for his CT scan and they waited for his results.
On July 29, Michelle went into labor at 7:00 am and delivered a healthy beautiful baby girl at 4:59 am July 30. At this time, Mike was feeling very unwell. Five days after the birth of their daughter he went to the emergency room as his symptoms had gotten very severe.
This is the first time the word Cancer was said to the young couple…
They were told that the CT scan appeared to show an appendiceal cancer and the distention in his abdomen was fluid building up which had caused the hernia. They consulted with a surgeon at the hospital but they would not remove the fluid causing uncomfortable pressure as they weren’t sure what to do regarding the cancer. Two days later Mike went to see his family doctor for more information. The cancer Mike had been diagnosed with is so rare, the doctor didn’t have much information to give and he was referred to a surgical oncologist.
The new parents then made their way to another hospital in hopes to get the fluid from Mike’s abdomen removed. After 13 hours in the emergency room, Mike got 8 L of fluid removed through a catheter inserted into his abdomen. He finally had some relief with his symptoms.
Not long after, Mike had his appointment with the surgical oncologist where they were explained a few procedures would need to be completed to determine what kind of cancer they were dealing with and how they could treat it.
Mike soon got blood work, endoscopes and a laparoscopy done. During the laparoscopy the surgeons repaired the hernia and placed a permanent catheter into his abdomen so he would be able drain the abdominal fluid from home. The doctor told him that the cancer was covering his abdominal cavity and organs and they wanted to try a HIPEC surgery.
A HIPEC surgery in short is one of the most intense surgeries someone could go through. It is the mother of all surgeries. They open the patient (a large incision from sternum to lower abdomen) then attempt to remove as many tumors and cancer that they can (in Mikes case they were preparing to remove his omentum, stomach, spleen, part of his large bowel and of course his appendix.) After they remove the organs and tumors, they pump chemotherapy into the abdomen, letting it sit for a certain amount of time before removing it and then closing him up.
Recovery time for this surgery would be several months and he would feel like he got hit by a truck for some time. Not only that, he would have to learn how to live without a stomach. Getting all this news after just having their baby only 4 weeks ago and being so young was extremely overwhelming.
On November 18 2019, Mike went in for his big surgery. Michelle sat in the waiting room with her dad while the rest of the family waited at home for news. The surgery was expected to take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. Within two hours, the surgeon stepped out to speak to Michelle...
They had to remove a 5lb tumor just to be able to see into the abdominal cavity. The cancer was so advanced already that there was nothing they could do. Chemotherapy was offered, but they were told it would never cure him. He would be exchanging his current symptoms for new ones with the possibility of giving him a few more months.
Mike decided that he wanted to enjoy the remainder of his time without chemotherapy. The goal is to keep him comfortable for as long as possible while being able to be home, not in the hospital, to watch their baby grow without dealing with the gruesome side effects of chemotherapy.
The funds raised for this family will go towards helping Michelle support their beautiful daughter and keeping up with bills and anything else that they might need some help with throughout this difficult time.
With her and her husbands permission to share their story, I've created this page in hopes to raise funds for anything that they might need some help with during these trying times.
Here is Their Story
This beautiful couple was married in 2015, purchased their first home in 2016 and on December 8 2018, Michelle (26) & Michael Barry (30) found out they were pregnant with their first child! Things couldn’t be better.
Michelle’s pregnancy was going well, and the baby was healthy. One morning in May, Mike woke up with a small hernia on his belly button. They didn’t think much of it at the time as Mike exercised on a daily basis and they figured it was just gym inflicted. He went to the doctor to get it looked at and was scheduled to see a surgeon to get it repaired.
As time went on Mike began experiencing abdominal discomfort such as a distention and acid reflux. The hernia site grew more painful and started to become bigger. He returned to his family doctor to discuss the new symptoms. The doctor said it was possible that he was developing gastric ulcers due to stress. He was scheduled for x-rays to make sure his intestines weren’t coming through the hernia and a CT scan to see if they could locate the ulcers.
Before Mike was scheduled for the CT, he saw the surgeon who looked at his hernia and said he could repair it. The Surgeon said that they would like to do an endoscope to see the ulcers as x-rays and CT won't always show them. From there they received the surgery date which unfortunately was very close to Michelle’s due date. It was so close that her doctor wanted to schedule her for an induction to be sure Mike could be there for the birth of their child. As Michelle’s due date and Mike’s surgery date was quickly approaching, Mikes' symptoms continued to worsen, and his abdomen continued to distend. He went for his CT scan and they waited for his results.
On July 29, Michelle went into labor at 7:00 am and delivered a healthy beautiful baby girl at 4:59 am July 30. At this time, Mike was feeling very unwell. Five days after the birth of their daughter he went to the emergency room as his symptoms had gotten very severe.
This is the first time the word Cancer was said to the young couple…
They were told that the CT scan appeared to show an appendiceal cancer and the distention in his abdomen was fluid building up which had caused the hernia. They consulted with a surgeon at the hospital but they would not remove the fluid causing uncomfortable pressure as they weren’t sure what to do regarding the cancer. Two days later Mike went to see his family doctor for more information. The cancer Mike had been diagnosed with is so rare, the doctor didn’t have much information to give and he was referred to a surgical oncologist.
The new parents then made their way to another hospital in hopes to get the fluid from Mike’s abdomen removed. After 13 hours in the emergency room, Mike got 8 L of fluid removed through a catheter inserted into his abdomen. He finally had some relief with his symptoms.
Not long after, Mike had his appointment with the surgical oncologist where they were explained a few procedures would need to be completed to determine what kind of cancer they were dealing with and how they could treat it.
Mike soon got blood work, endoscopes and a laparoscopy done. During the laparoscopy the surgeons repaired the hernia and placed a permanent catheter into his abdomen so he would be able drain the abdominal fluid from home. The doctor told him that the cancer was covering his abdominal cavity and organs and they wanted to try a HIPEC surgery.
A HIPEC surgery in short is one of the most intense surgeries someone could go through. It is the mother of all surgeries. They open the patient (a large incision from sternum to lower abdomen) then attempt to remove as many tumors and cancer that they can (in Mikes case they were preparing to remove his omentum, stomach, spleen, part of his large bowel and of course his appendix.) After they remove the organs and tumors, they pump chemotherapy into the abdomen, letting it sit for a certain amount of time before removing it and then closing him up.
Recovery time for this surgery would be several months and he would feel like he got hit by a truck for some time. Not only that, he would have to learn how to live without a stomach. Getting all this news after just having their baby only 4 weeks ago and being so young was extremely overwhelming.
On November 18 2019, Mike went in for his big surgery. Michelle sat in the waiting room with her dad while the rest of the family waited at home for news. The surgery was expected to take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. Within two hours, the surgeon stepped out to speak to Michelle...
They had to remove a 5lb tumor just to be able to see into the abdominal cavity. The cancer was so advanced already that there was nothing they could do. Chemotherapy was offered, but they were told it would never cure him. He would be exchanging his current symptoms for new ones with the possibility of giving him a few more months.
Mike decided that he wanted to enjoy the remainder of his time without chemotherapy. The goal is to keep him comfortable for as long as possible while being able to be home, not in the hospital, to watch their baby grow without dealing with the gruesome side effects of chemotherapy.
The funds raised for this family will go towards helping Michelle support their beautiful daughter and keeping up with bills and anything else that they might need some help with throughout this difficult time.
Organizer and beneficiary
Jessee-Lee LeBlanc
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB
Michelle Barry
Beneficiary