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.
On February 12th, after months of a persistent upset stomach and nausea had developed into mild jaundice, Laura was taken to Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, Wa. Several tests and abdominal scans revealed the source of her discomfort, and the resulting diagnosis that would forever change her life. Doctors discovered a mass on her pancreas was pressing on the bile duct to her gallbladder. Due to the quick thinking and amazing care of her Emergency Department doctor, she was transferred that evening to Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, where she was placed under the care of an entire team of Gastroenterologists, Surgeons, and an amazing Oncologist. Laura spent Friday through Tuesday at the hospital prepping for and undergoing a procedure to place a stent in the bile duct and to biopsy the mass. The biopsy revealed that the mass is a cancerous tumor. Following her hospital stay, Laura returned to the hospital on Tuesday, the 23rd, for more testing to determine the possible spread of the cancer. We have since received the difficult news that she has non-surgical metastatic stage 4 pancreatic cancer. This is not the outcome we’ve prayed for; however, with Laura’s tenacity, drive to succeed, her excellent general heath and the love and support of her family, God, and her talented medical team, we are confident she will beat this!
For the most accurate and up-to-date medical information on pancreatic cancer our family recommends the following websites: www.pancan.org www.pancreasfoundation.org www.cancercare.org
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