Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
We’re deeply saddened to share that Barb was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the end of May 2020.
Barb had been dealing with back pain for a while and it was progressively getting worse. Anybody who knows Barb knows she doesn’t go to the doctor. Well, with a strong suggestion from her family she finally went in. After a few scans they found a 5cm cancerous tumor on her pancreas.
Since the diagnosis our biggest struggle has been managing her pain. We were unable to manage it at home with oral medications. In mid June she was admitted into the hospital and ended up staying for a week. With the help of a team of doctors, we’ve been able to find medications to help keep her comfortable at home!
Her oncologist and cancer care team developed a treatment plan for her, which would involve chemo and surgery. Yesterday, July 1st, was day one of Chemotherapy. The ultimate goal would be to shrink the tumor with the chemo to eventually surgically remove it.... let the journey begin.
Dickie has turned into her nurse over the last few months and he’s kicking ass! The other day, Barb said, “good ol’ Dickie, he’s my soldier.” That guy can do anything, he’s unstoppable!
Lastly, and most importantly, Barb... she’s hanging in there. She spends most days resting and distracting herself by watching Lifetime movies. Don’t worry, with everything going on, she has still managed to enjoy a few glasses of wine. She also would like to go to the casino at some point. As for now, as cliche as it sounds, everyday is a new day. We just take it day by day.
We know our mom is loved by so many. She has a big family, and lots of friends! We thought a Caring Bridge would be the best way to keep everybody updated on her journey. We know how shocking and sad this whole situation is. Out of respect for Barb, we ask that everybody lets her rest and please don’t bombard her with phone calls and texts. It would be best to reach out to her on here, or on her Facebook. She is very exhausted and not up for visitors or phone calls at this time. Please keep her in your prayers!!
