As some of you may know, in late November of 2019, Niki (Brett to some, but she prefers her pre-Homer nickname) went to the hospital for appendicitis, and had her appendix removed. During the procedure, the doctors saw tumors on the appendix and other organs. She was eventually diagnosed with stage 4 appendix cancer, and her particular type of appendix cancer is very rare and very aggressive. The following year or so was filled with surgeries, chemo treatments, and periods of rest and healing. She had a few months where the cancer was gone and we were feeling hopeful for the future. Sadly, it came back and had spread to other parts of her body.
The last few months have been particularly hard. Niki underwent additional radiation and chemo, but the cancer had spread too far and too fast for them to be effective, so she stopped the treatments in January to improve the quality of her remaining time.
For some fun and joy, we took a week-long family adventure to Fairbanks that involved planes, trains, and automobiles. We saw northern lights, an amazing antique car/fashion museum, frolicked in -25 deg temps, enjoyed Chena hot springs, and wrapped it up with a train ride back to Anchorage. It was amazing. We have also been so fortunate to have visits from wonderful friends and family from out of state.
On March 15th, Niki went back into the hospital here in Homer to get her pain and nausea under control, and we don’t know when she’s coming home yet. We have such great support here from family and friends, and a great medical staff.
Please send love, prayers, and good vibes her way when you can.
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