Help the Soellner family offset medical costs

Tyrone Girls Soccer is raising funds to help one of our families offset medical costs. In June of 2022, Deb Soellner was diagnosed with vulvar cancer for the first time. In July of 2022, she met with the gynecological oncologist. They made an action plan and referred her to two different doctors in Altoona. Deb met with a doctor for radiation and a different doctor for chemotherapy. She underwent six weeks of intense treatments beginning in the middle of August of 2022. She had chemo for six hours once a week, and then she had radiation five days a week. By the end of her treatment, everyone was hopeful the cancer was gone. Her doctors believed chemo and radiation had gotten rid of the tumor. February of 2023, Deb got the results from her PET scan. There was still a tumor and inflammation in one lymph node. The doctors planned for surgery on March 15, 2023. By March 28, 2023, Deb was back in the hospital in Pittsburgh with an infection at the incision site. However, she received news on this day that the pathology report came back they got all of the cancer during surgery. Deb was back home safely by March 31, 2023. Things started looking up again for Deb. She was able to attend her daughter’s prom. She celebrated her other daughter’s 21st birthday. But, something wasn’t right again. Late May, Deb had an exam under anesthesia where her doctor took biopsies. Unfortunately, one of the biopsies came back positive for cancer again. On June 7, 2023, Deb went to Pittsburgh again for another surgery. The tumor was much smaller than the last, and the doctor suspected the recovery would be quick. The pathology report came back clear, and again, everyone was hopeful for a positive future. Unfortunately, Deb struggled to recover. She remained in an extreme amount of pain after her second surgery. August 17, 2023, they tried to give her a nerve block to ease her pain. However, it did not work against her battle. By September 6th, Deb found herself back in Pittsburgh. The doctors completed another exam under anesthesia. The doctors told her husband, Gus, that they did not see anything out of the ordinary. She noticed that some skin was not healed from radiation still and believed that was the cause of Deb’s pain. However, she took six biopsies as a precaution. On September 18th, Deb underwent a CT scan because she lost her appetite and stopped drinking water. This CT scan revealed a nodule on her left lung, and she was then in need of a PET scan. She was also admitted to Magees-Women’s Hospital again to attempt to get her pain under control. Deb came home on September 22nd with the news she was not hoping for. She received news that five out of the six biopsies that were taken were cancer. Her PET scan was scheduled for October 6th, and after she received the results they would discuss treatment options. Deb found herself back in the hospital on October 13th. It was just supposed to be an appointment to review her PET scan, but when she arrived, she was short of breath and dizzy. The doctor was concerned about blood clots in her lungs, however there were not any. It was also revealed to Deb that her cancer had spread to her lung. They discussed her treatment options, and the doctor wants her to complete 30-minute sessions every two-weeks of immunotherapy. In three to four weeks Deb will have to have another PET scan to determine if the treatment is working. On the 17th, Deb got to come home from the hospital. Since being home, Deb has unfortunately fallen twice now. The house has been modified for easier access to her bed, but Deb is still having issues with mobility. Her treatment was supposed to begin starting this week, however, on the 25th, Deb was taken to the Tyrone Emergency Room. She began bleeding, and when she called the on-call doctor they asked her to go to the nearest ER. The doctor there said that her

calcium levels were too high. They also wanted to give her a unit of blood because her skin is a pale, grey color. She received fluids because she is severely dehydrated. Upon giving her an examination, the doctor determined he believes Deb has another infection. On October 24th, Deb is being transferred to Magees-Women’s Hospital where they will treat her. Her immunotherapy treatments are held off until she comes back home.