Arlene Cavaretta

We originally let everyone know about mom's diagnosis on her son, Bill McLaughlin Jr's, Caring Bridge page a few weeks ago.  Mom asked that we keep the focus on Bill on that page, so we started a new page to keep everyone updated. However, mom wants everyone to know that she will get through this just fine and that ALL prayers need to go to Bill.  

Here is the journal entry from January 21st that was on Bill's page:

On another note, some of you may not be aware that mom was also diagnosed with cancer two weeks ago.  Her cancer is basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum.  She has a large mass that is causing her quite a bit of pain and digestive/bowel issues.  It is actually a type of skin cancer that started in the anal canal and grew into the rectum.  Her response upon hearing this is that she always knew she was an imperfect ass.  She said that she's "cool with it" but just wishes it was in a different, less embarrassing location, like maybe her hip or something.  That's mom for you.  

We met this morning with her oncologist, Dr. Nurkin, at Roswell (we had a 2 for 1 visit to Roswell today) to hear about the details of her diagnosis and her treatment plan.  The news was relatively good considering the situation.  There is a high likelihood at this point that the cancer is localized.  Her CT scan showed a couple of small cysts on the liver that are most likely benign.  She will be having a PET scan and an MRI next week to hopefully confirm localization of the cancer.  We will also meet with the rest of the oncology team next week to set up a schedule of treatments which will include a combination of 2 different chemotherapies and radiation.  No surgery at this point.  According to Dr. Nurkin, if they can confirm localization, treatment should provide quick and dramatic results with a good prognosis.