Cristi Reichenberger

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, friends. Cristi's story and updates will be posted is in the journal(s). 


Hello All, from Jesse Reichenberger, Cristi's brother.  

Cristi asked me to update everyone with notes of her condition and process from now, through, and after her upcoming surgery. 

This is a small group of us close family and friends that Cristi has chosen to include, so be free to ask any questions, and share as lovingly as you wish.  For those of you who don't know our family, we are Mom Peggy, Dad Randy, my Wife Tracy, our daughter Presley (2) and I, Cristi, Lacey, and Lacey's son Anderson, also 2.  

To bring us all to speed at once, Cristi was referred to KU Med Center, and attended her consultation today to address a strategy to remove a cystic mass that has now grown to greater than basketball size, in her abdomen.  The mass originates from her right ovary, so aside from her symptoms to this arrival, her discomfort, and stress on near organs, the cancerous properties of these masses are always a possibility, and of considerable concern given the lifeline of the mass. 

This is what Cristi and we know:

-Surgery will be scheduled inside of 2 days, expected within 1 week.  ALL surgeries are being prioritized by emergency first, urgent, and so on.  I DID ask why a basketball wasn't an emergency, and was clarified and corrected quickly to understand the quality of an emergency, and then one in our current climate of Covid-19.  Cristi's surgery is (urgent), and she may stand to be re-scheduled for emergencies.  She is responsibly compliant of course, but anxious indeed.   

-Surgery is intended to remove the mass, assess injury and unseen growth, and conduct pathology on the mass during surgery to detect cancer. 
*There is an 80% chance any pathology will inform all cancer growth.  (Because, the thing is so big, it's very likely a small sample does not represent the whole)

-Mid-surgery cancer detection will inform the surgeon's moves, in respectful light of Cristi's wishes. 

-100% cancer detection comes after the POST-surgery biopsy. 

-Cristi will be hospitalized for 1-2 days post surgery.

-The likelihood we will not be able to reach her during that time is VERY low, knowing her social media presence BUT, please find your updates here, and leave space for healing.  


Thank you for participating to cheer Cristi on!  She is aware of the distancing that must be met, so get weird on this forum for her if you have to, we are family.  

Peace and godspeed to all's individuals, families, communities, and our world community.  Be smart, attentive, and loving out there.  

Love from Colorado, 

Jesse, Tracy, and Presley