Support For Cheri

Update 1/29/24: While Mom‘s preference would be to go back to Green Valley on hospice care, the deposit required for that is outside of our reach. We are looking into other options, including the Pete Moore hospice house. The deposit is manageable, and we are less fearful about being able to keep her there, cost wise, until she passes. Thank you so much for loving on our family in this way.

Update 1/23/24: They say cancer is a marathon, not a sprint.

Yesterday we met with the surgeon from OHSU and talked about next steps. The good news is that all drains are gone, and incisions are healing fabulously.

The recommendation is to get mom in for a breast MRI and breast surgeon consult ASAP, to address the breast cancer in the short window we have before she’d need to start radiation to her head/neck in mid February.

The pathology from surgery confirms that the salivary duct carcinoma is aggressive and has a high probability of recurrence. The hope is that when it recurs, it’ll do so in a manner that is easier to cope with, symptom-wise.

The feeding tube will stay in place for now, but we learned some helpful therapeutic strategies for working on swallowing. Mom will keep working with palliative care while she decides how to move forward with the doctor’s recommendations.

Thank you all, once again, for sending your prayers, and your support.

Update 1/11/24: Mom’s made continued progress with mobility and stamina, but still has a ways to go with swallowing before the feeding tube can be discontinued. This process is long, exhausting, painful, and frustrating. Mostly, she is anxious to get the drains removed, increase her food intake, and get back to Eugene. She is starting to have a few visitors which certainly helps with morale. Please reach out if you’d like info about how to visit her at OHSU. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Update 1/9/24: Cheri is out of the ICU as of last night, and will remain at OHSU for about 2 weeks. She will be working with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and swallow therapy, to regain some strength and independence. She still has a feeding tube, as swallowing is too difficult. We are very encouraged by her rapid progress, while simultaneously coping with watching this process unfold. It’s hard to believe that once she overcomes the challenges immediately in front of her, we still have radiation and a breast cancer diagnosis to address. Your continued support, prayers, and encouragement are helping to carry her, and all of us, through this. Thank you so so much

Update 1/6/24: Mom was in surgery for about 11.5 hours yesterday and has been resting in the ICU since. Great news is that she was extubated without complications and is breathing without help. She doesn’t know it yet, but she ended up being able to keep her entire jawbone, which will be a very pleasant surprise for her. As you would imagine, waking up from that kind of anesthesia with so much surgical trauma to the face and neck is disorienting and painful. Her road to recovery will be long and likely bumpy, but your support is SO encouraging. Thank you

As you may know, in October, my mom, Cheri, was diagnosed with a deep lobe parotid gland cancer, which was discovered suddenly when she awoke with facial paralysis. This is not a “curable” cancer. Cheri was forced to stop working in October, and has been receiving skilled nursing care, speech and swallow therapy, and palliative care since then. In November we learned that she also has cancer in her left breast.

On January 5, 2024, she will undergo a 12 hour surgery at OHSU, to remove the cancerous mass in her face, and she’ll have some associated facial reconstruction and nerve grafting. The purpose of the surgery is to help relieve the tremendous pain she has been experiencing since October, and help restore some function to her mouth. The surgery/anesthesia are risky, but also provide a little bit of hope for comfort.

Despite having Medicare and supplemental insurance, the medical bills are mounting. The copays for skilled nursing care alone are about $6000 per month. This is in addition to hospital bills, travel expenses, etc… that are accumulating while we navigate her treatment at OHSU.

When she is ready to discharge from OHSU (we expect that to be 2-3 weeks after surgery), the hope is that she can return to skilled nursing care and we will learn more about radiation options, etc…

So many of you have reached out wondering how you can be supportive. With my mom’s permission, I’ve started this GoFundMe to provide an opportunity for folks who know and love my mom to send what they can to help alleviate a bit of the stress and financial burden that comes with this grim diagnosis.

My family and I would like to extend our sincerest thanks for any support you are able to send our way.