Abigail's Cancer Fund
Donation protected
Updated journey- 3/2018
In the summer of 2016 I noticed a change in my bowels (yes- I know, what a lovely opening line). There was some blood around my stool but nothing major in my mind. I spoke to a nurse friend about it and she said “there should NEVER be blood in your stool- call your doctor.” So I did. That led to a GI doctor and a planned colonoscopy. I went into the colonoscopy with my Doctor saying “it’s probably just IBS caused from stress” and came out with him saying “I have good new and bad news. Good news is you went to the doctor. Bad news is you have cancer.” A 5cm tumor was found in my rectum. At the young age of 38 my life would never be the same...
I followed my doctors orders and had MRI scans completed that week and met with an oncologist at LGH. I will never forget sitting in the room with a scan of my liver on the screen. I said to him “are those cysts on my liver” (My scans implied they were cysts). And he said “no, that’s all metastasized cancer”. THAT was the most horrific thing anyone has ever said to me. It was my “life flashed before my eyes moment” and the world stopped spinning for a moment. My Mother was with me and it’s the first time I saw her cry. And by cry I mean- we were both sobbing. The ugly cry. My children’s life without me was all I could see. Andy without me raising our family. I PRAY that no one else ever has to experience that conversation.
We had a family meeting and went to work on setting up our plan of attack. Chemotherapy was started at Lancaster General a week later and Penn Medicine doctors were brought onto the case. After 2 months of treatment and complications ( I was hospitalized with a Pulmonary Embolism- a lung blood clot- because of the chemo) we had another scan. This showed that the 20+ tumors in my liver were shrinking but not enough. They were very close to my blood supply in the liver and surgery would be a huge risk (yet exactly what I needed to survive).
I’m BLESSED to have a cousin who is a practicing cancer physician and I had been consulting with him since my initial diagnosis. Upon the news that Penn Medicine was unable to complete the needed treatments and surgery he called his fellow physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City on a Wednesday and on Monday Andy and I were sitting in a surgeons office. With that initial visit I was quickly sent to many other doctors to plan our attack. On the docket- radiation, surgery and chemo. And MANY return visits to New York City (we always take the Amtrak train and I always have someone with me).
They wanted to do Radiation first but they suggested I move my ovaries to avoid a secondary complication due to radiation of the rectal tumor (they are right next to each other- it would “kill” the ovaries and I would immediately start menopause). I had the surgery the day before Thanksgiving, came home Thanksgiving day (while avoiding the Macy’s day parade!) and by Friday night my family was calling 911. That evening I had emergency surgery for internal bleeding. This complication slowed down the fight a bit. After recovering from this major set back I received my radiation in NYC the first week of January. This was “high dose” radiation directly to the rectal tumor and was 5 treatments long. We later learned that this radiation had COMPLETELY melted the entire tumor and affected lymph nodes and I did not need surgery.
I did however need at hepatic (liver) pump that would be able to directly deliver chemotherapy and specialized medicine to my liver tumors. This was completed in late January. It is implanted under the skin and is sewn to my abdominal wall ( It will stay there for up to 5 years). My team then started the process of shrinking the tumors in my liver for my necessary liver resection. This also meant that I needed to return to NYC every 2 weeks to have it maintained. Again, Amtrak and many hotel stays were necessary.
This process took 9 months to complete. My team of doctors developed the chemotherapy drugs to best attack the tumors in my liver. In October of 2017 the doctors completed a successful liver resection. Unfortunately they found cysts on my ovaries (that were moved under my rib cage) and they had to be removed. I am now post-menopausal and am going through the “change”. Chemotherapy continued and focus was shifted to the 3 remaining tumors/nodules in my right lung. I had a successful procedure in January of 2018 to ablate (burn/destroy) these tumors/nodules.
I continue to have chemotherapy to make sure all the cancer cells are GONE. I celebrated my 40th birthday in January- a huge milestone. I continue to receive medicine in my pump for my liver as is regrows to perfection. My liver has re-grown and is tumor free. We as a family are BLESSED to have my husband home since September to care for myself and the children (and the house). I have good days and worse days and his help is a God send. I can focus on my health, healing and well-being as I work on getting stronger and healthy (gaining back the 25 pounds I lost!). I am BLESSED with SO much support from my family and friends. I am determined to live a long life and the “flash before my eyes” at that initial consultation will be a not reality- I will be here for my children and husband for a long, long time.
8/2016
Abigail (Lowe) Critchfield, 38, was born and raised in Lancaster County, Pa., and an alumnus of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic School and Lancaster Catholic High School. After graduating in 1996, she attended Misericordia University where she earned her Bachelor and Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT). She married the love of her life, Andrew Critchfield, on October 2, 2004. As newlyweds, they lived in Reamstown, PA where they started their family and welcomed Jack Henry in June of 2007. Happily, the family moved to Akron, Pa in the summer of 2009, and then welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Peyton Anne in April 2010.
Abigail feels very fortunate having a career as in OT. The flexible schedule enables her to do what she loves… being a wife and mom. She began working PRN, which means she worked “as needed”, at different area therapy clinics, nursing facilities and hospitals to accommodate the hours needed to help support her family, while still having precious family time. As Peyton grew older, she was diagnosed with “low tone”. Over the past few years, Peyton has benefited from ongoing OT, PT, and speech therapy at Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center to address her deficits and has made great progress. With Peyton’s numerous doctor’s appointments, therapy visits, etc., Abigail and Andrew felt blessed Abigail could take the time she needed to be an advocate for her daughter and work on alternative days.
Abigail’s family has also been a victim of this changing economy as Andrew was laid off from his job in December of 2015. After months of looking for work, an opportunity was presented for a temporary position in California. As a family, the plan was for Andrew to move there for a year and Abigail and the kids would join him over the summer. However, as with any great plan, things change and the project Andrew was working on was cancelled. When he returned from California, he felt fortunate to find new employment, but it is at a pay cut compared to his previous salary. But fortunately for them, his new job also provides the opportunity for growth and promotions as he grows within the organization. With this new job, Andrew also became eligible for a company health insurance coverage, which their family strongly needed. Over the summer, Abigail was also able to put more of a focus on her Mary Kay business, in another effort to help supplement their family’s income, while continuing to work PRN at Lancaster General Hospital and Willow Valley Communities whenever her schedule allowed.
Though Abigail and Andrew were disappointed when the California job fell through, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Abigail began to experience rectal bleeding over the summer and sought medical help in August. A colonoscopy on August 23 revealed a 5cm+ tumor in her rectum. After further testing, Abigail was diagnosed with stage 4 (of 4) rectal cancer that has metastasized/spread to the lymph nodes in her groin and liver. She is now in the planning stages of treatment with aggressive chemo to start the week of September 6.
Since her diagnosis, the pain in her lower abdomen continues to increase, making it difficult to maintain her typical schedule. The pain medicine she is now taking has side effects, which are preventing her from doing her normal daily tasks, requiring her to rest as much as possible, and unfortunately, has resulted in her being unable to work right now. This means that because Abigail works as a PRN, when she doesn’t work, she doesn’t get paid. There is also no short or long term disability options when you work PRN and part of Abigail’s anxiety right now is how are they going to afford all of this.
Abigail, Andrew and their two children, Jack and Peyton, need our help. They have planned ahead and have an emergency fund in place for events such as this but their savings alone will not be enough to get them through this health crisis. Abigail needs to be able focus on fighting this cancer and getting healthy again, and we can help eliminate some of her worry by helping them with their ongoing everyday living expenses with two growing children. So let’s rallying the troops!!! Funds can be used immediately to help with everything from paying for school lunches and after school programs, to buying food, clothes for the kids as winter approaches, and gas money to get to the doctors, etc. We know the medical bills will show up later and want to start planning for that as well. Any and all help is appreciated, both large and small, and Abigail and Andrew will be eternally grateful. It’s a difficult thing to ask for help, but with a health crisis of this magnitude, Abigail and Andrew have acknowledged they can’t do this alone. Some might say it takes a village, but we are thinking this will take a city! In times like these, you start to think about all the people we have met through the years and the impact they have on your lives, both large and small. Each and every one of you has had an impact on Abigail and Andrew’s life. They are grateful to have you in their lives. Let’s shower them with love and support, and show them that we have their back and will help them through this journey, physically, emotionally and financially.
In the summer of 2016 I noticed a change in my bowels (yes- I know, what a lovely opening line). There was some blood around my stool but nothing major in my mind. I spoke to a nurse friend about it and she said “there should NEVER be blood in your stool- call your doctor.” So I did. That led to a GI doctor and a planned colonoscopy. I went into the colonoscopy with my Doctor saying “it’s probably just IBS caused from stress” and came out with him saying “I have good new and bad news. Good news is you went to the doctor. Bad news is you have cancer.” A 5cm tumor was found in my rectum. At the young age of 38 my life would never be the same...
I followed my doctors orders and had MRI scans completed that week and met with an oncologist at LGH. I will never forget sitting in the room with a scan of my liver on the screen. I said to him “are those cysts on my liver” (My scans implied they were cysts). And he said “no, that’s all metastasized cancer”. THAT was the most horrific thing anyone has ever said to me. It was my “life flashed before my eyes moment” and the world stopped spinning for a moment. My Mother was with me and it’s the first time I saw her cry. And by cry I mean- we were both sobbing. The ugly cry. My children’s life without me was all I could see. Andy without me raising our family. I PRAY that no one else ever has to experience that conversation.
We had a family meeting and went to work on setting up our plan of attack. Chemotherapy was started at Lancaster General a week later and Penn Medicine doctors were brought onto the case. After 2 months of treatment and complications ( I was hospitalized with a Pulmonary Embolism- a lung blood clot- because of the chemo) we had another scan. This showed that the 20+ tumors in my liver were shrinking but not enough. They were very close to my blood supply in the liver and surgery would be a huge risk (yet exactly what I needed to survive).
I’m BLESSED to have a cousin who is a practicing cancer physician and I had been consulting with him since my initial diagnosis. Upon the news that Penn Medicine was unable to complete the needed treatments and surgery he called his fellow physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City on a Wednesday and on Monday Andy and I were sitting in a surgeons office. With that initial visit I was quickly sent to many other doctors to plan our attack. On the docket- radiation, surgery and chemo. And MANY return visits to New York City (we always take the Amtrak train and I always have someone with me).
They wanted to do Radiation first but they suggested I move my ovaries to avoid a secondary complication due to radiation of the rectal tumor (they are right next to each other- it would “kill” the ovaries and I would immediately start menopause). I had the surgery the day before Thanksgiving, came home Thanksgiving day (while avoiding the Macy’s day parade!) and by Friday night my family was calling 911. That evening I had emergency surgery for internal bleeding. This complication slowed down the fight a bit. After recovering from this major set back I received my radiation in NYC the first week of January. This was “high dose” radiation directly to the rectal tumor and was 5 treatments long. We later learned that this radiation had COMPLETELY melted the entire tumor and affected lymph nodes and I did not need surgery.
I did however need at hepatic (liver) pump that would be able to directly deliver chemotherapy and specialized medicine to my liver tumors. This was completed in late January. It is implanted under the skin and is sewn to my abdominal wall ( It will stay there for up to 5 years). My team then started the process of shrinking the tumors in my liver for my necessary liver resection. This also meant that I needed to return to NYC every 2 weeks to have it maintained. Again, Amtrak and many hotel stays were necessary.
This process took 9 months to complete. My team of doctors developed the chemotherapy drugs to best attack the tumors in my liver. In October of 2017 the doctors completed a successful liver resection. Unfortunately they found cysts on my ovaries (that were moved under my rib cage) and they had to be removed. I am now post-menopausal and am going through the “change”. Chemotherapy continued and focus was shifted to the 3 remaining tumors/nodules in my right lung. I had a successful procedure in January of 2018 to ablate (burn/destroy) these tumors/nodules.
I continue to have chemotherapy to make sure all the cancer cells are GONE. I celebrated my 40th birthday in January- a huge milestone. I continue to receive medicine in my pump for my liver as is regrows to perfection. My liver has re-grown and is tumor free. We as a family are BLESSED to have my husband home since September to care for myself and the children (and the house). I have good days and worse days and his help is a God send. I can focus on my health, healing and well-being as I work on getting stronger and healthy (gaining back the 25 pounds I lost!). I am BLESSED with SO much support from my family and friends. I am determined to live a long life and the “flash before my eyes” at that initial consultation will be a not reality- I will be here for my children and husband for a long, long time.
8/2016
Abigail (Lowe) Critchfield, 38, was born and raised in Lancaster County, Pa., and an alumnus of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic School and Lancaster Catholic High School. After graduating in 1996, she attended Misericordia University where she earned her Bachelor and Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT). She married the love of her life, Andrew Critchfield, on October 2, 2004. As newlyweds, they lived in Reamstown, PA where they started their family and welcomed Jack Henry in June of 2007. Happily, the family moved to Akron, Pa in the summer of 2009, and then welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Peyton Anne in April 2010.
Abigail feels very fortunate having a career as in OT. The flexible schedule enables her to do what she loves… being a wife and mom. She began working PRN, which means she worked “as needed”, at different area therapy clinics, nursing facilities and hospitals to accommodate the hours needed to help support her family, while still having precious family time. As Peyton grew older, she was diagnosed with “low tone”. Over the past few years, Peyton has benefited from ongoing OT, PT, and speech therapy at Schreiber Pediatric Rehab Center to address her deficits and has made great progress. With Peyton’s numerous doctor’s appointments, therapy visits, etc., Abigail and Andrew felt blessed Abigail could take the time she needed to be an advocate for her daughter and work on alternative days.
Abigail’s family has also been a victim of this changing economy as Andrew was laid off from his job in December of 2015. After months of looking for work, an opportunity was presented for a temporary position in California. As a family, the plan was for Andrew to move there for a year and Abigail and the kids would join him over the summer. However, as with any great plan, things change and the project Andrew was working on was cancelled. When he returned from California, he felt fortunate to find new employment, but it is at a pay cut compared to his previous salary. But fortunately for them, his new job also provides the opportunity for growth and promotions as he grows within the organization. With this new job, Andrew also became eligible for a company health insurance coverage, which their family strongly needed. Over the summer, Abigail was also able to put more of a focus on her Mary Kay business, in another effort to help supplement their family’s income, while continuing to work PRN at Lancaster General Hospital and Willow Valley Communities whenever her schedule allowed.
Though Abigail and Andrew were disappointed when the California job fell through, it may have been a blessing in disguise. Abigail began to experience rectal bleeding over the summer and sought medical help in August. A colonoscopy on August 23 revealed a 5cm+ tumor in her rectum. After further testing, Abigail was diagnosed with stage 4 (of 4) rectal cancer that has metastasized/spread to the lymph nodes in her groin and liver. She is now in the planning stages of treatment with aggressive chemo to start the week of September 6.
Since her diagnosis, the pain in her lower abdomen continues to increase, making it difficult to maintain her typical schedule. The pain medicine she is now taking has side effects, which are preventing her from doing her normal daily tasks, requiring her to rest as much as possible, and unfortunately, has resulted in her being unable to work right now. This means that because Abigail works as a PRN, when she doesn’t work, she doesn’t get paid. There is also no short or long term disability options when you work PRN and part of Abigail’s anxiety right now is how are they going to afford all of this.
Abigail, Andrew and their two children, Jack and Peyton, need our help. They have planned ahead and have an emergency fund in place for events such as this but their savings alone will not be enough to get them through this health crisis. Abigail needs to be able focus on fighting this cancer and getting healthy again, and we can help eliminate some of her worry by helping them with their ongoing everyday living expenses with two growing children. So let’s rallying the troops!!! Funds can be used immediately to help with everything from paying for school lunches and after school programs, to buying food, clothes for the kids as winter approaches, and gas money to get to the doctors, etc. We know the medical bills will show up later and want to start planning for that as well. Any and all help is appreciated, both large and small, and Abigail and Andrew will be eternally grateful. It’s a difficult thing to ask for help, but with a health crisis of this magnitude, Abigail and Andrew have acknowledged they can’t do this alone. Some might say it takes a village, but we are thinking this will take a city! In times like these, you start to think about all the people we have met through the years and the impact they have on your lives, both large and small. Each and every one of you has had an impact on Abigail and Andrew’s life. They are grateful to have you in their lives. Let’s shower them with love and support, and show them that we have their back and will help them through this journey, physically, emotionally and financially.
Organizer
Abigail Lowe Critchfield
Organizer
Akron, PA