Hi, I'm Lois Kehoe, Donna's sister. Here is a little background. Back in mid-December, 2016, Donna started experiencing abdominal pain in her mid-section. For those of you who know her well, you know that she can be a bit stubborn, so she toughed it out through the holiday season.
Around New Year's, she noticed that her eyes and skin took on a yellowish color. After taking down the Christmas tree and putting away the decorations, the pain became severe and she finally went to the emergency room. After running tests, it was determined that she had a golf ball sized gall stone that was blocking her common bile duct and prohibiting the flow of bile out of the gall bladder. At that time, a stent was placed so that bile could flow freely, and she was sent home with a plan to return in four weeks to try to remove the gall stone.
On February 9th, the doctor attempted to remove the stone, but found so much inflammation in the area that biopsies were taken and more tests were run. The following day, the doctor called and asked her and Tom to come into the office to discuss the results of the tests. At that time, she learned that the biopsies indicated addenocarcinoma. Her doctor recommended that she see a surgeon in Sarasota, but a special type of CT scan needed to be performed before that meeting in order to determine the exact location and stage of the cancer. Terry and I drove Donna and Tom to Sarasota on February 15th to have the special CT scan. When the results were made known to her local doctor, she was immediately referred to a Dr. Jay Wang, an oncologist here in Naples. They met with Dr. Wang yesterday (2/24) and he advised her that the scan showed that the cancer is located in the pancreas and there are also a couple of small spots in her liver. He has ordered a complete PET scan which Donna will have this coming Monday (2/27), and a port will be placed in her chest on Wednesday so that she is ready to start chemotherapy this coming Friday (3/3). After Dr. Wang has the results of the PET scan, she will meet with him prior to the chemotherapy, at which time she will learn if there are any other areas of concern and what stage her cancer is determined to be. They will also discuss a treatment plan.
As you can well imagine, we are all very concerned. I know Donna and Tom will appreciate any positive thoughts and prayers being sent their way. Donna is still feeling quite well - and sassy! She is on some pain medication which is keeping her comfortable. So, at this point, she is clipping along at her usual pace. She has stepped back from some of her committee work here at their Copper Cove community and her part time work at Weight Watchers. She is receiving lots of love and support from family, friends and co-workers which is so important to both her and Tom.
Please feel free to contact her through this CaringBridge site. I have received several calls asking for Donna and Tom's address, so decided to include it here for those who may wish to send a card. Their address is: 3873 Treasure Cove Circle, Naples, FL 34114.
I will post updates as more information becomes available.
With positive thoughts and prayers of healing, Lois
