Evonne Rose Denham

Welcome to our CaringBridge site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most. 
Evonne Rose Denham was diagnosed in late 2015 with pancreatic cancer after suffering with stomach pains for several months.while living Baker City, Oregon, she underwent testing and biopsies to start chemotherapy. Two rounds of chemo were completed when she got news that she would be evaluated for a "whipple procedure" in Portland. The whipple is a complicated, long and risky procedure but Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is by far a leader in this rare surgery. She moved to Portland to live with her brother Doug and await news if she was able to proceed. Unfortunately, after arriving she became very ill with jaundice and her liver was not draining bile. She was yellow and tired and declining  rapidly. Evonne was hospitalized and some stents were placed in surgery. These were to drain the bile and turn the jaundice around. Things looked pretty grave for family and friends during this period of time. 
Fast forward to May 12, she underwent the Whipple procedure. It was a 14 hour surgery!  There were weeks of recovery ahead. 
She would go in and out of the ICU at OHSU. She battled pneumonia and a large wound from surgery that has yet to heal. All is now going in the right direction and Evonne was moved to a long term care hospital, Vibra, on the northeast side of Portland on July 18th. This is over 2 months after surgery. Oddly enough, it's the same hospital in which she delivered her firstborn son!  
Her recovery involves wound care to try to heal the large surgical scar, nutrition therapy to help her to eat solid food again in the future (she receives liquid feedings  through a tube and iv nutrients as well) and intense physical and occupational therapy to help her walk and regain strength. This therapy will eventually allow her to do her normal activities of daily living and go home to Baker City and to her beloved dog, Gizmo!  
Thanks for the support and we will keep posting from here on out.