Darlene Stong Dar Stong

Welcome to Dar's site. Please sign the guestbook and continue to speak your words of encouragement in person/over the phone/through old fashioned mail! Grandma's only joking hesitation with this site was that no one would have to call her anymore!
Update!! Grandma has one stair lift up and running, thanks to everyone who helped with this!!!

First Entry
6/28/2016

Dar has a quote on her wall that says something about God giving his hardest battles to His toughest soldiers...She is facing one now, with a painful cancer that has almost bedridden her for the last month. To summarize what has happened in the last 9 months or so...Last fall she began to have knee pain, and went through a series of tests and treatments with no results. The pain seemed to move from her knee to hip area, and the consensus seemed to be that there was a pinched nerve...a pinched sciatic.... She continued treatment and exercising, everyone always believing and hoping  it would get better. Yet it was frustrating as nothing seemed to work. We knew she was in pain because when Dar finally shows, or admits to having  a bit of pain, it is usually enough to knock most people off their feet! She stubbornly continued about all her activities...working, visiting, traveling to her grandsons' college games and graduations, even though her pain continued to get worse and she started using a cane. After Memorial Day it became so severe that Dar was hardly able to move and Ron took her in to the emergency room. They performed an MRI on her hip and that trip became a long week stay with a mind numbing amount of hospital personnel and information. Dar just wanted to get home, and would not accept a bit of help from the home therapist in Dar like fashion,  to doubly prove she could go home. Since then there has been tests and more tests. They diagnosed a form of lymphoma, a blood cancer. Her left hip bone had degraded to a point it looks like honeycomb, and it is incredible she used it as much as she did. They also found a tumor in her ovary, and it and her ovaries were removed last week.  Tuesday we will learn the results of a bone biopsy and PET scan and hopefully find out more details concerning the cancer, its origin, and what treatment is needed. One visit to the university did provide good news with that they are able to reconstruct the hip bone at some point.
Her pain is at least under some control, and she is able to stay at home with the help and dedication of Ron, and many others pitching in. She is confined mostly to her room and bed now, as the stairs have become too unmanageable unless needed. It would be hard for anyone to be stuck in a room, but as active as Dar always has been it seems extra hard to have to give so much up. Probably for the first time ever she has no idea what is in her kitchen, and Ron is doing an acceptable job it seems washing and hanging out the clothes! She is tired, but I for one have yet to hear one complaint in this whole ordeal. Her faith in God and positive light hearted attitude are always there.
To everyone who has given their time, brought a meal, shared a laugh, helped decode medical terms, sent a note, and said an extra prayer.... We thank you all!!! Keep them up! She is a one of a kind woman and loved so much.