Just over 15 years ago, Anne was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. She had a partial lobectomy and underwent aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Anne entered remission and was eventually cured of that cancer.
Over the past few years, several small new nodules in her lungs were being monitored closely by her health care team. Anne successfully underwent a couple rounds of radiation in recent years targeting some of the nodules. Earlier this year we learned that her lung cancer had metastasized and a tumor was found on her liver. While the liver cancer is inoperable, Anne does qualify for immunotherapy, Keytruda. While immunotherapy is not a cure, it has been proven to extend quality of life with minimal side effects.
The last six months have been difficult. Anne's breathing has become more labored and she has been susceptible to a lot of infections - viral, bacterial and fungal. Speaking of viruses, Anne was tested twice for COVID 19 over the last week and both results were negative . She is currently in the hospital at Abbott Northwestern where she is receiving compassionate and thoughtful care. Anne was admitted Sunday night with primary concerns of unexplained throat and ear pain, in addition to worsening breathing. An added challenge at this time is that she is not able to have any visitors. Anne is right where she needs to be and our commitment is to provide updated journal entries as we have information to share.
